As the international community grapples with unprecedented uncertainty and increasing fragmentation, Indigenous Peoples’ leaders from the global south gather today and tomorrow in Rome to assert their right to self-determination in their efforts to achieve food security and sovereignty despite the climate crisis and geopolitical upheaval.
“The right to self-determination is fundamental: there can be no food sovereignty or security without the protection of Indigenous territories ,” said Myrna Cunningham, Chairperson of the Steering Committee, at the opening ceremony of the Seventh Global Meeting of the Indigenous Peoples Forum (IPFI), a consultative gathering of Indigenous Peoples’ organizations, IFAD and governments, hosted at the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) headquarters biannually since 2013.
“Strengthening indigenous governance and recognizing the value of traditional food systems are essential steps toward a sustainable and equitable future for all,” added Cunningham.
“The realisation of Indigenous Peoples’ rights to self-determination, food security and sovereignty requires that we challenge our mindset,” said Alvaro Lario, President of IFAD. “This means, in part, actively questioning the inherited systems that reinforce inequalities and injustices, and also taking action where needed.”
Despite being among the most vulnerable and hardest hit by the climate crisis, climate finance isn’t working for Indigenous Peoples, it is hindering their food security. They often lack access to funding to adapt to a changing climate and to build resilience to shocks. Indigenous leaders stake a claim in the pressing need for climate finance that is tailored to their unique challenges and own solutions. Their self-driven development initiatives can foster climate action towards a more sustainable world, where people and the planet can thrive in harmony.
“Indigenous Peoples’ right to self-determination is a fountain-right from which flow many other rights, including the right to food and to food sovereignty. Food sovereignty means that Indigenous Peoples should be in control of their own food production and practices, including as a way to pass on culture, knowledge, values, beliefs and sense of belonging. This may also entail a restoration of Indigenous Peoples’ pride in their traditional foods, which was assaulted and destroyed by colonization,” said Albert K. Barume, the newly appointed Special Rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples.
Monsignor Fernando Chica Arellano, Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Agencies in Rome read a letter from Pope Francis: “Land, water, and food are not mere commodities but the very foundation of life and the bond between these peoples and nature. Defending these [Indigenous Peoples’] rights is not just a matter of justice but a guarantee of a sustainable future for all.”
The seventh global meeting of the IPFI brings together 42 delegates from 35 different Indigenous Peoples in 30 countries. The meeting takes place ahead of IFAD’s annual Governing Council (48th session), the highest decision-making body of the only international financial institution and specialized agency in the UN system, where all 180 IFAD Member States will meet to discuss how to scale-up investments in rural areas to eradicate hunger and poverty by 2030.
The IPFI follows a series of regional meetings to capture the diversity of perspectives and recommendations from Indigenous Peoples’ representatives around the world. The Forum serves as a vital platform for policy oversight, guiding IFAD’s strategic direction and resource mobilization.
IFAD’s commitment to Indigenous Peoples
“Our policy now states very clearly that IFAD works with Indigenous Peoples as equal partners to co-create strategies and design and monitor investments,” said Lario at today’s event. IFAD President stressed the Fund’s commitment to support Indigenous Peoples to actively lead climate projects grounded in their traditional knowledge, identities, and cultural values.
With an overall investment of US$3.2 billion, nearly 40% of IFAD’s portfolio supports Indigenous Peoples’ communities directly, ensuring that projects seek free, prior and informed consent (FPIC) in design and implementation. IFAD’s Executive Board approved 14 projects that prioritize Indigenous Peoples’ issues during the last three-year replenishment cycle (2022–2024), exceeding the initial target, set for the first time ever, of 10 projects.
Since the new Policy on Engagement with Indigenous Peoples was approved in December 2022, IFAD has made significant progress in its engagement with Indigenous Peoples. Guided by the update policy, the international financial institution supports the implementation of the Indigenous Peoples Assistance Facility (IPAF), with projects in 42 countries, reaching 53 Indigenous Peoples’ groups. IPAF is part of IFAD’s focus on enhancing Indigenous Peoples’ access to climate and biodiversity finance, build resilience, and strengthening their leadership and participation in global environmental agendas.
