COICA ORG
COICA is a non-profit indigenous rights organization founded in 1984 in Quito, Ecuador, coordinating 511 indigenous peoples across nine Amazon basin countries through nine national member organizations via grant-funded programs in territorial governance, climate advocacy, indigenous-led financing, and defender protection.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1984
- HeadquartersQuito, Ecuador
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What COICA ORG does
COICA (Coordinadora de las Organizaciones Indígenas de la Cuenca Amazónica) is a non-profit indigenous rights and territorial governance organization founded in 1984 and headquartered at Calle Sevilla N24-358 y Guipuzcoa, La Floresta, Quito, Ecuador. It is the sole regional coordinating body for 511 indigenous peoples across nine Amazon basin countries — Brazil, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, and French Guiana — operating through nine national member organizations: COIAB, CIDOB, AIDESEP, CONFENIAE, OPIAC, ORPIA, APA, OIS, and FOAG. Core outputs are policy advocacy, territorial defense, indigenous economy programs, and capacity-building, not commercial products. Its current general coordinator is Fany Kuiru Castro.
The organization's programmatic portfolio comprises five strategic initiatives. (1) Fondo Amazonía para la Vida (FAV) — a $10 million direct-financing mechanism launched with the Inter-American Development Bank (BID) at COP28 in July 2024, now being scaled via country-level agreements with ORPIA (Venezuela), AIDESEP (Peru), and OPIAC (Colombia). (2) Programa de Defensa de Defensores y Defensoras Indigenas (PDDD) — a regional digital platform protecting indigenous human rights defenders, with technical support from DAR since 2019. (3) Programa Regional de Economía Indígena — including Amazon Fair Trade and Con Amazonía forest-economy initiatives. (4) Escuela Indígena Nugkuag — diplomacy and international-advocacy training. (5) Programa Regional de Transmisión de Conocimientos Ancestrales — focusing on intergenerational knowledge transfer and indigenous women's leadership. Underlying technology rests on the Sistema de Información Territorial y Geográfica (SITG) and the Red Regional de Alertas Tempranas; COICA is currently harmonizing an Indigenous Amazonian Indicators Framework first developed by COIAB.
COICA does not generate commercial revenue. Its funding model is grant-based, anchored on the $10M FAV mechanism with BID and the EU-financed Amazonía+ Program administered through Expertise France, supplemented by partnerships with WWF, Darwin, and other civil-society donors. Programs are distributed via the nine national member organizations and through direct participation in international policy venues including UNFCCC COPs (COP16, COP28, COP30), IUCN World Conservation Congresses, CBD negotiations, and London Climate Action Week 2026. Staffing is lean at 7 employees, reflecting a coordinator-advocate role rather than an implementing-organization operating model.
COICA ORG firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- COICA ORG
- Legal name
- Coordinadora de las Organizaciones Indígenas de la Cuenca Amazónica
- Website
- https://coicamazonia.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1984
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- COICA is a non-profit indigenous rights organization founded in 1984 in Quito, Ecuador, coordinating 511 indigenous peoples across nine Amazon basin countries through nine national member organizations via grant-funded programs in territorial governance, climate advocacy, indigenous-led financing, and defender protection.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
COICA ORG industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Indigenous Rights Coordination
- NAICS
- Business Associations (813910)
- SIC
- Services-Membership Organizations (8600)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Stakeholder Engagement, Indigenous/Tribal Consultation & Social Impact (SIA) (EUAHAAAH)
Keywords
Where COICA ORG is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Quito
- HQ country
- Ecuador
- HQ region
- Latin America
Offices1 record
Markets served
COICA ORG business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Grants and International Funding: COICA receives funding through grants and financial partnerships with international development banks and donor organizations to support its programs on indigenous governance, climate action, territorial defense, and biodiversity protection.
- Fondo Amazonía para la Vida: A $10 million fund launched in partnership with the Inter-American Development Bank (BID) at COP28, designed to provide direct financing to indigenous peoples and organizations for territorial governance and Amazon protection.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels5 records
COICA ORG product offering
Product offeringCore offering
COICA (Coordinadora de las Organizaciones Indígenas de la Cuenca Amazónica) is a regional indigenous rights coordination organization that represents 511 indigenous peoples across nine Amazon basin countries. It delivers programs on territorial governance, direct financing mechanisms, indigenous defender protection, indigenous economy, ancestral knowledge transmission, and international climate and biodiversity advocacy.
Product overview
COICA ORG (Coordinadora de las Organizaciones Indígenas de la Cuenca Amazónica) is an indigenous rights advocacy organization representing 511 indigenous peoples across 9 Amazon basin countries. Rather than a commercial product company, COICA operates several strategic programs: the Fondo Amazonía para la Vida (a direct financing mechanism with BID partnership), the Programa de Defensa de Defensores y Defensoras Indígenas (a protection platform for indigenous defenders), the Programa Regional de Economía Indígena (indigenous economy program including Amazon Fair Trade), the Escuela Indígena Nugkuag (diplomacy training), and the Programa Regional de Transmisión de Conocimientos Ancestrales (ancestral knowledge transmission). These programs work together to advance territorial governance, climate action, biodiversity protection, and indigenous rights at international forums.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Fondo Amazonía Para La Vida: Direct financing mechanism for indigenous peoples with leadership from indigenous organizations
- Escuela Indígena
- Amazon Fair Trade
- Guardianes de la Amazonía
- Cumbre de Mujeres
Quantifiable outcome
- 175 million hectares of indigenous territories within the Amazon basin conserved
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use COICA ORG
Customer profileNamed customers6 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
COICA ORG technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
COICA ORG partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- COIAB (Coordinadora de las Organizaciones Indígenas de la Amazonía Brasileña)coreStrategic articulation for constructing indigenous Amazonian indicators and defending the Amazon basin as a unified territorial unit. COIAB shares its participatory territorial monitoring system methodology for potential regional harmonization under COICA leadership.
- AIDESEP (Asociación Interétnica de Desarrollo de la Selva Peruana)corePartnership for implementing the Fondo Amazonía para la Vida in Peru. AIDESEP serves as pilot experience for regional scaling of indigenous-led financing mechanisms, demonstrating institutional, technical, and political strength for direct financing access.
- ORPIA (Organización Regional de Pueblos Indígenas del Amazonas)coreStrategic partnership for implementation of the Fondo Amazonía para la Vida in Venezuela. COICA and ORPIA collaborate on territorial governance, financing access, and indigenous-led conservation through joint planning workshops and coordination.
- OPIAC (Organización Nacional de los Pueblos Indígenas de la Amazonía Colombiana)corePartnership with COICA and BID for strengthening indigenous bioeconomy in Colombia through the Fondo Amazonía para la Vida implementation workshop in Bogotá.
- DAR (Derecho, Ambiente y Recursos Naturales)coreTechnical support partnership for the Program of Defense of Indigenous Defenders (PDDD). DAR provides legal and technical assistance to develop protection mechanisms for indigenous human rights defenders in the Amazon basin.
- WWFminorTraining partnership for REDD+ initiatives, including the Amazonian Indigenous REDD+ (RIA) initiative under holistic territorial management for full life.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
COICA ORG competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Conservation International: Large global environmental NGO operating across biodiversity, climate, and indigenous partnerships in the Amazon; broader portfolio player that occasionally partners with COICA but is not indigenous-led.
- WWF (World Wide Fund for Nature): Global conservation incumbent with active Amazon programs (including REDD+/RIA training that COICA partners on); operates across a far broader portfolio but overlaps with COICA on Amazon conservation and indigenous engagement.
- IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature): Global conservation body that approved COICA's Motion 129 in 2021; a much larger, broader incumbent whose policy and membership forum COICA engages with but does not directly compete against.
Direct peers
- Amazon Watch: Amazon-focused NGO working to protect the rainforest and advance indigenous rights in partnership with COICA and its member organizations. Direct peer on Amazon territorial defense and climate advocacy.
- Gaia Amazonas: Colombian-based organization supporting indigenous governance and territorial protection in the northwestern Amazon; works closely with OPIAC and other COICA member organizations on overlapping agendas.
- Forest Peoples Programme: Organization supporting forest-dependent indigenous peoples' rights, especially in tropical forest countries including the Amazon. Operates at the intersection of indigenous rights, biodiversity, and international policy — directly comparable scope to COICA.
- Survival International: Global indigenous rights advocacy organization that campaigns on tribal land rights, territorial defense, and policy influence — directly comparable to COICA's mission, though with a worldwide rather than Amazon-specific focus.
- Indigenous Peoples Rights International: Dedicated to defending indigenous human rights defenders globally; directly comparable to COICA's PDDD program (Program for Defense of Indigenous Defenders) in mission and approach.
- Rainforest Foundation Norway: Funds and supports indigenous and community-led forest protection in tropical countries including the Amazon basin; comparable operating model of grantmaking plus advocacy on indigenous territorial rights.
- Cultural Survival: Indigenous rights organization supporting self-determination, land rights, and advocacy at international forums such as the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues — closely mirrors COICA's advocacy and capacity-building model.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks4 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
COICA ORG social profiles
Digital presenceCOICA ORG financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
COICA ORG leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles9 records
COICA ORG subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries2 records
COICA ORG funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
COICA ORG M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about COICA ORG
What does COICA ORG do?
COICA (Coordinadora de las Organizaciones Indígenas de la Cuenca Amazónica) is a regional indigenous rights coordination organization that represents 511 indigenous peoples across nine Amazon basin countries. It delivers programs on territorial governance, direct financing mechanisms, indigenous defender protection, indigenous economy, ancestral knowledge transmission, and international climate and biodiversity advocacy.
Is COICA ORG a public or private company?
COICA ORG is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was COICA ORG founded?
COICA ORG was founded in 1984. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is COICA ORG based?
COICA ORG is headquartered in Quito, Ecuador, in the Latin America region.
How does COICA ORG make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Grants and International Funding is the primary driver. The others are fondo Amazonía para la Vida.
Who are COICA ORG's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Conservation International, WWF (World Wide Fund for Nature) and IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature). Direct peers are Amazon Watch, Gaia Amazonas, Forest Peoples Programme, Survival International, Indigenous Peoples Rights International, Rainforest Foundation Norway and Cultural Survival.
Does COICA ORG have an API?
No public API is recorded for COICA ORG.
What industry is COICA ORG in?
COICA ORG's product category is Indigenous Rights Coordination. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EUAHAAAH, Stakeholder Engagement, Indigenous/Tribal Consultation & Social Impact (SIA). Its NAICS code is 813910 and its SIC code is 8600.