Peruvian National Census of 2017 (08.11.17)

2017 Peruvian National Census and indigenous Amazonian peoples

The SALSA Public Issues and Actions Committee has sent a letter to the director of Peru‘s National Institute of Statistics and Information (INEI) applauding the agency for its adoption of the principle of ethnic self-identification for the 2017 Peruvian National Census as a way of increasing the visibility of indigenous Amazonian populations. The letter underscores the importance of accurate census data for assessing the country’s sociocultural and linguistic diversity, thereby empowering indigenous peoples. The letter calls on INEI to employ census methods that adequately represent, respect and consult indigenous households, communities and organizations towards this purpose. The letter also points out the importance of recognizing the existence of indigenous peoples in isolation, even if direct assessments of their population size is impossible due to ethical and practical considerations.

Read the full signed letter in Spanish [PDF].

[Photo: Peru Telegraph]

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