Chairman of the National Coordinating Body of Indigenous Peoples of Panama
Cándido Mezúa Salazar is General Chief of the Emberá-Wounaan Region and Chairman of the National Coordinating Body of Indigenous Peoples of Panama (COONAPIP), integrated by seven indigenous peoples and nine traditional Congresses. He is a Member of the Executive Board of the Mesoamerican Alliance of Peoples and Forests (AMPB), and has extensive experience in programs and projects on social and environmental issues, land management, alternative dispute resolution and international cooperation. He previously worked for the Emberá-Wounaan General Congress, serving as Technical Advisor to the Chiefs and Boards of the Congresses, Director of the Department of Natural Resources and Environment (DIRENA), Director of Programs and Projects, and Commissioner for the formulation of the Emberá-Wounaan Region’s National Development Plan. He has also worked as a consultant for various programs and projects funded by national and international agencies.
