Deusto examines Bolivia's immediate future with international experts from Latin America

During the Conference held on 14 and 15 June in San Sebastian, Carlos Romero, executive director of CEJIS, Centre for Legal Studies and Social Research in Bolivia, gave a lecture on 'El futuro inmediato de Bolivia: el movimiento indígena y los recursos naturales'. This meeting was organised by the Institute of Human Rights at the University of Deusto, in collaboration with the Department for Human Rights, Employment and Social Insertion of the Regional Council in Guipuzkoa. Some well-known experts attending this event included the writer, analyst and researcher into the indigenous people's situation in the lowlands, Carlos Romero.News

14 June 2006

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Born in La Paz in 1966, he has been involved in social movements since he was young, and has occupied managerial positions at the Internal Law Centre, UMSA Local University Federation and, temporarily, at the Bolivian University Confederation. He has taken part in field studies on the living and working conditions of the Bolivian communities in the Yungas and the Altiplano.

In 1995, he joined the Centre for Legal Studies and Social Research, CEJIS, as Head of the Trinidad Regional Unit; he also participated in the technical drawing up of the sixteen lawsuits in favour of the collective land tenure rights of the indigenous peoples in the Amazonia; he contributed to the processes regarding the agrarian process, and to the formulation of proposals for legal reforms, aimed at incorporating indigenous rights.

At the end of 2000, he took over as executive director of national CEJIS, carrying on indigenous and rural land tenure processes promoted by this institution; he also supervised the broadening of institutional coverage to the department of Pando, Concepción en la Chiquitanía cruceña and the local office in La Paz. In 2002, between May and June, he joined the eastern indigenous and rural organisations in the March in favour of the Constitutent Assembly, contributing to the analysis and proposals for its call. During the last few years, which have been marked by the deep crisis affecting the country, he has been involved in the discussion of national issues in different arenas.

Among other activities, he was a lecturer and thesis supervisor for the Law degree at the Univalle-Trinidad. He has recently published a book entitled, 'El proceso Constituyente Boliviano: El hito de la IV marcha de tierras bajas', which has been classified as a political law manual. This book is the most comprehensive publication on this subject matter. He is also the author of numerous books and publications.