Ecuador’s population numbers some 14,306,876 individuals and, of these, nearly two million belong to the 14 native nationalities - or indigenous peoples - and Afro-descendant peoples, who are linked in a network of local, regional and national organisations. There are two peoples living in voluntary isolation in the Centre-North Amazon: the Tagaeri and the Taromenane, who live in the Yasuní National Park and Biosphere Reserve.

Article 1 of the Ecuadorian Constitution stipulates that, “Ecuador is a constitutional state of law and justice, it is social, democratic, sovereign, independent, unitary, intercultural, plurinational and secular”. In the specific case of indigenous peoples, participation is a right that is exercised “...through their representatives in the official law-making bodies, by defining public policies that are of concern to them, and in the design of and decision-making for their priorities in the State’s plans and projects” (Art. 57(16)). Despite these constitutional provisions, the actual possibilities for asserting these rights within state laws and policies still comes up against difficulties, and this limited compliance is a frequent cause of tensions and conflict between the state and indigenous peoples.

International Work Group for Indigenous Affairs, The Indigenous World 2011