History
The Roots of Our Forum
The spirit and intention behind the World Ayahuasca Forum find deep resonance in the Declaration of the 4th Indigenous Ayahuasca Conference—a powerful expression that reflects the journey leading to this historic convergence.
What follows is a reflection inspired by the language, worldview, and vision of that Declaration, offered as a bridge to understanding the deeper context of this Forum:
“…[A] worldview deeply linked to environmental and spiritual ecology, one that unites the human with the ‘non-human.’ A perspective that, for years, remained covered by the invisibility imposed by governments and was often discredited by science, dominant philosophy, and Western societal policies. In recent years, however, it has begun to gain space through increasing interactions between spiritual leaders—heralds of this knowledge—and sectors of the colonizing society, represented by a generation that has come to recognize the importance of these peoples and their worldview in addressing the various dilemmas and afflictions troubling the current global structure, which is profoundly imbalanced and harmful to the environment and to human existence. It also carries the need to dismantle false concepts and shift the legal perceptions of countries where organized groups use these sacred medicines.”
Inspired by the Declaration of the 4th Indigenous Ayahuasca Conference (2022), held at the Yorenka Tasorentsi Institute, Acre, Brazil.
A Historic Convergence
The World Ayahuasca Forum marks a historic convergence: the consolidated partnership between the Council of Indigenous Spiritual Leaders (CLEI) – represented by the Yorenka Tasorentsi Institute – and ICEERS transforms years of parallel work into unified action. This is not an isolated event, but a sacred milestone in our ongoing journey toward intercultural governance and the establishment of shared foundations for global dialogue.
ICEERS is dedicated to transforming society’s relationship with traditional Indigenous medicines and the respective knowledge-holding communities. For over 15 years, ICEERS has worked at the intersection of Indigenous and global contexts, government and civil society—mitigating harms, advancing research and policy, and fostering collaborative approaches to the complex realities of plant medicine globalization. ICEERS has organized three World Ayahuasca Conferences (2014, 2016, 2019), which helped lay the groundwork for global dialogue—now evolving under Indigenous leadership.
The Yorenka Tasorentsi Institute was founded by Ashaninka leader Benki Piyãko, with the mission of addressing ecological, cultural, and social issues in an integrated manner. Among its activities, it seeks to contribute to social mobilization and the protection of the essential and collective rights of Indigenous peoples. The protection, appreciation, and clarification of spiritual knowledge and its material and immaterial practices—as well as the understanding and ethical use of their “sacred medicines”—are among the institute’s main areas of action. Evidence of this includes its efforts in organizing Indigenous spiritual leaders, recognizing them as sources of wisdom and as holders of conscious and healthy practices related to this knowledge. In this context, the institute initiated and continues to lead the important event known as the Indigenous Ayahuasca Conference, which has been held in the state of Acre, Brazil, since 2017. The event has attracted increasing interest from leading Indigenous spiritual leaders, who—through a participatory and consensus-based process—present different agendas and mobilizations, with IYT serving as the disseminator and implementer of many of these initiatives.
ICEERS paused its conferences to reassess its strategies and to make space for Indigenous leadership and the full development of the Indigenous Conferences. The three previous editions of the World Ayahuasca Conference were organized by ICEERS, together with partners, including the participation of Indigenous leaders. For the first time, a global event on ayahuasca is being co-organized from the outset in formal partnership with representatives of CLEI—specifically, the Yorenka Tasorentsi Institute, which is currently stewarding CLEI’s processes and agenda until it becomes fully operational. Another key difference lies in the governance structure: decisions about the program, invited guests, and forum outcomes are being made by consensus with Indigenous leaders, reflecting a shift from consultation to joint decision-making.
Meanwhile, the group of Indigenous spiritual representatives has convened since 2017 through the Indigenous Ayahuasca Conferences. This ongoing effort includes a long-term plan—not only to ensure the continuity of these gatherings, but also to expand the dialogue to other Indigenous peoples around the world. In addition to exchanging experiences from their spiritual practices, these conferences address shared concerns impacting their spirituality, cultures, and territories, with their master medicine, ayahuasca, as a point of departure.
Since the first edition, the conferences have aimed to create a tool for representation and self-determination: the Council of Indigenous Spiritual Leaders (CLEI). This was formally established through consensus at the 5th Indigenous Ayahuasca Conference.
Over five editions, the Indigenous Ayahuasca Conferences have become vital spaces for dialogue and the development of strategic actions, with core objectives centered on respect for Indigenous sovereignty and rights, ethics, and resistance. The conferences continue to evolve, generating protocols, processes, and strategic alliances.
Among these strategies, and in light of the ongoing globalization of ayahuasca in both religious/holistic contexts and academic/scientific domains, the need has arisen to deepen dialogue among all actors: Indigenous peoples, academics, scientists, therapists, and others. This need is clearly stated in the Declaration of the 5th Indigenous Ayahuasca Conference, which calls on the international community to listen to the voices and messages of Indigenous leaders—representatives of their ancestral knowledge.
These are messages with global relevance: they call for the legal protection of traditional medicines, the ethical use of these practices within their holistic and ancestral frameworks, the recognition of Indigenous intellectual property, and legal safeguards for the spiritual leaders who perform rituals, knowledge exchange, and healing practices around the world.
The need for exchanges with other biocultures—such as iboga, peyote, mushrooms, etc.—has also become clear. These traditions often face similar challenges and, in many regions, have come into contact and dialogue with the ayahuasca bioculture due to globalization. Participation from these other traditions has always been encouraged at the Indigenous Conferences.
Building relationships with Indigenous movements from other countries has proven essential for fostering intercultural partnerships and strategic collaboration with key organizations. This process was formalized during the 4th Indigenous Ayahuasca Conference, held at the Yorenka Tasorentsi Institute in Marechal Thaumaturgo, Acre (Brazil), in 2022. The leadership of the event decided to initiate dialogue with ICEERS to explore common ground and co-develop global communication and strategy from an Indigenous-led perspective.
During the planning of the 5th Conference, discussions emerged about amplifying the messages of Indigenous peoples and expanding the global intercultural dialogue surrounding ayahuasca—guided by the concerns and perspectives of spiritual leaders. From this emerged the decision to hold a World Forum to fulfill this objective.
Europe was chosen as the location—symbolizing for Indigenous peoples of the Americas the possibility of reclaiming and re-signifying old colonial routes and knowledge flows. The aim was to reach a broader audience and facilitate participation from relevant actors, including governments and institutions, by offering easier access.
Strategically, it was understood that bringing this message to a wider public—outside the Amazon—could create greater impact.
Thus was born the World Ayahuasca Forum, to be held in Girona, Spain, in September 2026.