In memoriam: José de los Santos Sauna

UNESCO expresses its condolences for the death of José de los Santos Sauna, Governor of the indigenous community of the Kogui people, on 6 August 2020 in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta (Colombia), caused by coronavirus Covid-19.

The cabildo governor will be remembered as one of the most representative leaders of the indigenous peoples of Colombia, who stood out for his work in defending the rights of the indigenous communities in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, a site included on Colombia's Tentative List since 2012 as a potential mixed property.

UNESCO, together with the various indigenous organizations and national authorities of Colombia, expresses its solidarity in the face of this unfortunate loss.