The Federation at the World Ayahuasca Forum 2026
Girona hosted a forum co-designed with Indigenous peoples. FERM took part with a stand and in the dialogue tables on ethics, care and self-regulation.
From 11 to 13 September, Girona hosted the World Ayahuasca Forum, organised by the Yorenka Tasorentsi Institute, the Nixiwaka Institute and ICEERS. The Red Micelio Federation took part with an information stand and in dialogue tables on ethics, care and community self-regulation.
Indigenous peoples at the centre
The most significant aspect of the Forum was the way it was governed. The peoples who safeguard ayahuasca had already organised their own conferences, and ICEERS had organised other world conferences; this was the first time they did so together, sharing decision-making power in a model of co-design and co-management. Delegations from some twenty Indigenous peoples attended.
One idea came up again and again in many forms: this is not about a substance, but about complex systems of knowledge, bound up with territories, languages and ways of life.
Reciprocity, not extraction
The programme's themes included Indigenous rights and intellectual property, cultural appropriation and biopiracy, safety and good practice, and rights-based regulatory models. These are the same commitments set out in the section «Hacia la comunidad indígena» (Towards the Indigenous community) of the FERM Code of Ethics: dignity, sustainability, respect and reciprocity towards native peoples, and protection against biopiracy and cultural appropriation.
Good practice and self-regulation
For the Federation, the Forum confirmed that the way forward lies in shared criteria, transparency and shared responsibility. Without a clear legal framework, peer self-regulation is the best tool for protecting participants, those who guide sessions and the peoples from whom this knowledge comes.
Further reading
- ICEERS: the 5th Indigenous Ayahuasca Conference
- Traditional knowledge on our Science page