The right to food guidelines and indigenous peoples:an operational guide

THE RIGHT TO FOOD GUIDELINES
AND INDIGENOUS PEOPLES:
AN OPERATIONAL GUIDE

Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Rome 2009

ABSTRACT

This Guide aims to assist indigenous peoples and their organizations on how to use the Voluntary Guidelines to Support the Progressive Realization of the Right to Adequate Food in the Context of National Food Security1 (hereafter “Right to Food Guidelines” or “Guidelines”) to promote their own interests in the area of food security. It also intends to increase awareness and improve understanding among development workers as well as United Nations (UN) staff, government officials and indigenous peoples themselves, of linkages between issues affecting indigenous peoples and the Right to Food Guidelines.2 The Guide is thus mainly about using the Right to Food Guidelines as an instrument to advocate and lobby in favor of indigenous peoples’ interests.

The designations employed and the presentation of material in this information product do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) concerning the legal or development status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. The mention of specific companies or products of manufacturers, whether or not these have been patented, does not imply that these have been endorsed or recommended by FAO in preference to others of a similar nature that are not mentioned. The views expressed in this information product are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of FAO.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Acronyms

Acknowledgements

1. Introduction

2. Why and how were the Right to Food Guidelines drawn up?
    Did indigenous peoples participate in the process?

3. Nature of the Right to Food Guidelines

4. Content - Key Guidelines relevant to indigenous peoples

     4.1 Human rights based approach to food security (see Guidelines 1-19)
     4.2 National strategies to ensure the right to food of indigenous peoples
            (see Guideline 3)
     4.3 Access to natural resources (see Guideline 8)
     4.4 Traditional knowledge (see Guideline 8.12)
     4.5 International trade vs. local production? (see Guidelines 2.3, 3.7 and 4.5)
     4.6 Collection of disaggregated data (see Guideline 13.2)
     4.7 Nutrition and culture (see Guideline 10)

5. What is the value added of the Right to Food Guidelines and
    how can indigenous peoples use them?

Conclusion

References

ANNEX I

     Summary of the content of the Right to Food Guidelines

ANNEX II

     Overview of relevant right to food provisions of international human rights instruments

ANNEX III

     The right to food in practice