It is a non-governmental organization that works in consultation with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations.
One of CISA’s objectives is to promote respect for the right to life, justice, development, peace, and autonomy of the indigenous peoples and Nations.
CISA also coordinates an exchange of knowledge, experiences and projects between indigenous peoples and nations in respect to development that will improve their welfare.
Some of the problems that the Maya League seeks to combat are racism, repression, marginalization, and poverty.
Mexico has the most adapted modern Maya peoples today; they are from Mayan Yucatec branch, most of them totally integrated into the Mexican economy, from peasants, retail, handcraft or "Maquiladora" factory workers to doctors, engineers and politicians.
[12] Many political related movements regarding the rights of indigenous peoples have taken hold particularly in the 1990s due to "time and allies.
Trans-national movements like the FIOB "represents a broad network of relationships, organizational structures, and cultural traditions.
[citation needed] One of the newest and most controversial in terms of radical actions, is the Indigenous Democracy Defense Organization or IDDO,[17] it has created an Indigenous all volunteer'Foreign Legion' that has taken the defense of Indigenous rights to unprecedented / albeit still technically legal -levels, in various countries of Latin America, such as training various tribes in front-line zones of criminal activity, such as narco-trafficking areas or conflict zone areas, basic marksmanship community self defense skills, for both genders and for all age groups.
The IDDO was itself an offshoot of the recently created Caribbean Amerindian Development Organization/CADO [19] that was the brainchild of Damon Gerard Corrie and Shirling Simon of the Lokono of Barbsados and Guyana, Roberto Borrero and Tai Pellicier of the Taino of Puerto Rico, and Irvince and Florence Auguiste of the Kalinago of Dominica.
As deforestation occurs in areas such as the Amazon, many movements aim to work in solidarity to bring these secondary issues to light.
[20] Five indigenous communities sought to remediate the polluted sites and gain compensation for damages to their land.
This shift has helped to gain more awareness as environmental protection becomes more important in the rights for indigenous peoples.
[citation needed] The Dakota Access Pipeline protests is one example of the fight for indigenous rights to sacred land in the United States.
Similarly, the Escobal mine protests in Guatemala have centered around both environmental issues and the land sovereignty of the indigenous Xinca people.