Omayra Casamá

Emberá Leader, Educator, and Advocate · Emberá Community

Omayra Casamá is an Emberá leader, educator and advocate for Indigenous women’s leadership, cultural preservation and community well-being in Panama. She is also a social worker. Raised in the traditions and ancestral knowledge of the Emberá People, she has dedicated her life to strengthening her community’s voice, rights and future. Her leadership emerged from the experiences of her people following the displacement of Emberá communities in the Bayano region after the construction of the Bayano hydroelectric dam forced many Indigenous families from their ancestral lands. From a young age, she became involved in efforts to defend Indigenous rights, support community development and create opportunities for women and future generations. For more than three decades, she has worked to advance Indigenous women’s participation and leadership, promote intercultural bilingual education and preserve Emberá language, culture and ancestral knowledge. Casamá has organized and supported initiatives that strengthen the economic empowerment of Indigenous women and expand access to education and leadership opportunities. She has served as coordinator of intercultural bilingual education for Eastern Panama and has participated in regional and international programs focused on Indigenous rights, women’s leadership, climate change, education and sustainable development. Widely recognized as a pioneering woman leader within the Emberá community, Casamá has built bridges between ancestral knowledge and public institutions. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she played a key role in supporting public health communication and access to services in her community, helping ensure that Indigenous perspectives and cultural practices remained central to local response efforts. At the 2026 SBCC Summit, Omayra Casamá will share her perspective on local, ancestral, and cultural approaches to SBCC, drawing on decades of experience advancing community-led solutions grounded in Indigenous knowledge, cultural identity and collective well-being.

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