Rome - The atmosphere inside the Nomad Indigenous FoodLab was warm as Indigenous Youth, Member State ambassadors, FAO Directors and delegations from other UN agencies gathered this morning for the opening ceremony of the II UN Global Indigenous Youth Forum (UNGIYF) at FAO headquarters in Rome.

Happening in person for the first time, the UNGIYF is a meeting of Indigenous Youth from all seven socio-cultural regions of the world, with members of 98 different Indigenous Peoples’ groups present. As the Director-General of FAO, the President of IFAD, the Deputy Executive Director of WFP, the President of the Sámi Parliament in Norway, the Permanent Representative of Norway to FAO, Co-Chair of the Global Indigenous Youth Caucus, Vice-Chair of the Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, Permanent Representative of Mexico to FAO and the Chair of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII) took their places around the circle, quiet fell, and the sound of a conch shell trumpet cut through the air.

Pacha K’anchay, spiritual Counsellor of the II Global Indigenous Youth Forum (UNGIYF) led a spiritual ceremony before the FAO Director-General was invited to light the fire at the meeting’s hearth and, with that, marked the event’s official start.

This year’s session of the biannual event is co-organized by the Global Indigenous Youth Caucus and the World Reindeer Herder’s Association. It is hosted by FAO and supported by DOCIP.

One after another, the gathered leaders spoke of their esteem and desire for greater inclusion of Indigenous Peoples and two-way exchange with organizations such as FAO.

“You are carriers of our ancestors and the civilization,” said QU Dongyu, FAO’s Director-General, addressing the Indigenous Youth, adding that we should all have our minds open to new ideas, with collective efforts required now and for generations to come.

The energy in the tent was willing, with warm rounds of applause filling the air after every set of remarks. The President of the Sámi Parliament, Silje Karine Muotka, spoke of the past, present and future, noting that while some people say that Indigenous Youth are the leaders of tomorrow, they in fact already are leaders. Questioning any distrust from governments on Indigenous Peoples’ ability to steward their territories, she queried, “Is there anyone who cares more about the land working than those who rely on that land so strongly?”, noting also that issues of land ownership and Indigenous Peoples’ rights are impacting the mental health, wellbeing and storytelling in Indigenous Peoples’ communities.

The call to governments to strengthen the collaboration with Indigenous Youth also came from Dario Mejia Montalvo, Chair of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII), who remarked the need to “work tightly with Indigenous Peoples, embracing their knowledge”.

Mai Thin Yumon, Co-chair of the Global Indigenous Youth Caucus (GIYC), was also present at the high-level opening ceremony to represent Indigenous Youth and to draw attention to their requests. “We are here today, in our home, in our Indigenous territory, as leaders. We have great hopes and expectations. We are here to share our struggles, to learn from each other and to offer our expertise and knowledge on food systems”, she said. Continuing her intervention, she called upon Rome-based UN Agencies to develop a system-wide action plan for Indigenous Youth across all of them.

As the opening ceremony drew to a close, the sense of hopes and expectations hung poignantly in the air. The offer was made clear from all sides: let’s listen, let’s learn.