Join us for an interactive side event of the Committee on World Food Security CFS 50!

 12 October 2022/ 18:30 CEST | Register here

Within the framework of the 10^th anniversary of the Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests (VGGT), the UN Decade of Ecosystem Restoration and the International Year of Artisanal Fisheries and Aquaculture 2022, this side-event will provide an opportunity to discuss emerging issues related to collective rights to lands, water and natural resources, successful interventions and relevance of instruments, such as the VGGT. In addition, concrete experiences of recognition of customary rights will be portrayed at this side event.

OPENING REMARKS

Darío Mejía Montalvo, Chair of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues

Marcela Villarreal, Director, Partnerships and UN collaboration, FAO

PANEL

The cost of insecure tenure rights of Indigenous Peoples - Kundan Kumar, collective rights expert.

Collective land tenure of Indigenous Peoples: progress and challenges 10 years after the adoption of the VGGTs - Stanley Kimaren ole Riamit

Collective water tenure of Indigenous Peoples: progress and challenges 10 years after the adoption of the VGGTs. The collective tenure of water and its challenges - Jessica Troell, Environmental Law Institute

Indigenous Peoples’ food systems: a holistic system based on territorial management - Yon Fernández de Larrinoa, Head of the Indigenous Peoples Unit, FAO

Access and impact of international instruments for the protection of the collective rights of Indigenous Peoples -  Ramesh Sharma, Ekta Parishad National Coordinator

CLOSING REMARKS

Maria Paola Rizzo, Land Tenure officer, FAO

FACILITATOR 

Mariana Estrada, FAO Indigenous Peoples Unit

 Background: 

Indigenous Peoples’ territories, mostly held collectively, cover 28% of the world’s land surface and harbour 80 per cent of the planet’s terrestrial biodiversity. These Indigenous Peoples’ territories intersect with 40% of all terrestrial protected areas (Rights and Resources Initiative 2019), water ecosystems and ecologically intact landscapes (for example, boreal and tropical primary forests, savannahs, montane forests and marshes), where they have developed over centuries complex Indigenous Peoples’ food systems. These food systems are rooted in traditional knowledge and rely on territorial management practices to generate food while protecting the environment. In addition, an estimated 36% of the world’s remaining intact forests are on Indigenous Peoples’ lands (Nakashima 2012).

The 2021 UN Food Systems Summit recognized Indigenous Peoples’ food systems as a game-changer for sustainability. Indigenous Peoples’ relationships with land, water and territories, in particular food systems, are embedded in their knowledge systems and cosmogonies, and underly their effective ecological stewardship. Recognizing, protecting and strengthening Indigenous Peoples' food systems and other sustainable practices is critical to ensure the conservation and restoration of biodiversity, climate mitigation and ecological restoration (Global-Hub, 2021).

Unfortunately, despite the importance of Indigenous Peoples’ lands, waters and territories for biodiversity, climate mitigation ecological restoration and sustainable food systems, Indigenous Peoples’ rights over natural resources have been historically disregarded in most parts of the world. With exception of a few countries, the majority of Indigenous People’s lands, water and territories remain without legal recognition and protection. For Indigenous Peoples, the lack of recognition and protection of their lands, waters and territories, important for spiritual, social and cultural value and sources of identity, is an existential threat. Tenure insecurity has led to forced evictions, displacement and relocation of Indigenous Peoples affecting their security and cultural survival. Policies and practices linked to food production and agricultural supply chains are major contributors to Indigenous People’s tenure insecurity.

Collective tenure of water requires special mention. Due to the increasing water demand, coupled with the predicted impacts of climate change, the lack of recognition of collective water tenure poses a significant challenge for Indigenous Peoples’ communities worldwide.

For the global community, the cost of insecure rights of Indigenous Peoples on their lands, waters and territories in form of lost opportunities for climate mitigation, conservation, ecological restoration and sustainable food systems is immeasurable. Given the urgency of climate change and biodiversity collapse, it is important that the global community engage with the critical bottleneck of insecure rights of Indigenous over their lands and territories.