OFRANEH

OFRANEH was founded in 1978 as a federation of Garífuna peoples seeking common defense of their cultural and territorial rights and their survival as a differentiated culture. Through a network of community radios, the organization promotes health and environmental education, supports the use of the Garífuna language, and promotes youth and women’s leadership development. OFRANEH has represented the Garífuna Peoples in national and international courts, recently winning two landmark cases- Triunfo de la Cruz and Punta Piedra – in the Inter-American Court of Human Rights. In both cases, the court found the Honduran State responsible for violating the collective ownership rights of the Garífuna communities. The ruling sets an important precedent in Honduras as well as internationally as it unequivocally re-affirms the state’s obligation to free, prior and informed consent as established under the 169 Convention of the International Labor Organization.