At COP27, countries come together to take action towards achieving the world’s collective climate goals as agreed under the Paris Agreement and the Convention. Building on the outcomes and momentum of COP 26 in Glasgow last year, nations are expected to demonstrate at COP 27 that they are in a new era of implementation by turning their commitments under the Paris Agreement into action. The conference will take place from 6-18 November 2022 in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt.

Indigenous Peoples are one of the most affected by climate change, yet are the people contributing the least to it. In fact, Indigenous Peoples’ food systems enhance biodiversity and mitigate the impacts of climate change. For hundreds of years, they have developed ways of life and food systems based on observation and adaptation to environmental changes, creating exceptionally resilient societies.

At COP 27, Indigenous Peoples and FAO work together to ensure recognition and strengthening of Indigenous Peoples' food systems as drivers of change for climate action.

Find here the events organized by and involving the FAO Indigenous Peoples Unit and representatives of Indigenous Peoples.

 

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Indigenous Peoples' food systems: regenerative, resilient and protectors of the land

Wednesday 9 NOV,  14:30-15:30 Egypt time

Food and Agriculture Pavilion | Livestream

 

Indigenous Peoples’ food systems are intimately tied to nature and able to provide food and nutritional security while maintaining biodiversity and supporting climate resilience. They are rooted in their traditional knowledge and customary systems, allowing Indigenous Peoples to ensure the continuity of their existence and well-being, sometimes in the face of major environmental changes. Indigenous Peoples and pastoralists depend on collective rights to their ancestral lands and natural resources and their unique territorial management systems for their livelihoods and food security.

Indigenous Peoples, FAO and the Regen10 are partnering on this session to showcase the knowledge and learning from Indigenous Peoples' regenerative food systems and provide space for a dynamic discussion on opportunities to further strengthen such approaches.

Speakers:

Jessica Vega (Mixteco People, Mexico), Adviser to the Global Indigenous Youth Caucus | Phrang Roy (Khasi People, India), Khasi leader, Coordinator of The Indigenous Partnership and NESFAS | Darío José Mejía Montalvo (Zenu People, Colombia), Chair, UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues | Yon Fernández-de-Larrinoa, Head of the Indigenous Peoples Unit, FAO | Stanley Kimaren ole Riamit (Maasai People, Kenya), Founder-Director, Indigenous Livelihoods Enhancement Partners (ILEPA) | Mariam Wallet Aboubakrine (Kel Tamasheq People), Co-Principal Investigator of the Ărramăt project | Heylin Reyes Sánchez, (Bribri and Cabecar peoples), Kábata Könana Women's Association, Costa Rica | Chris Buss, Regen10/ International Union for Conservation of Nature

 “Parties and stakeholders at COP 27 cannot afford to leave any solutions on the table. Indigenous Peoples are holders of ancestral knowledge systems that have solutions to today's global challenge.”, highlighted Mariam Wallet Aboubakrine, from the Kel Tamasheq people and the ARRAMAT project, during the side event Indigenous Peoples’ food Systems: regenerative, resilient and protectors of land. FAO, REGEN10 and The Indigenous Partnership organized this event at the Food and Agriculture Pavilion. “Indigenous Peoples' food and knowledge systems are the principal innovation humanity needs to solve the climate and hunger crises”, added Dario Mejía Montalvo, Chair of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues.

 

 

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Indigenous Peoples’ food systems in the Arctic as game changers for climate action

Thursday 10 NOV, 11:30 -12:30 Egypt time

Cryosphere pavilion

Livestream: Facebook | YouTube | Twitch

Through this side event, we will explore the game-changing solutions that Arctic Indigenous and Nomadic Peoples can share with the world and the urgent need for governments and the international community to establish and enforce intercultural policies that support the efforts of Indigenous Peoples to protect and promote their food systems.

 About 476 million people in more than 90 countries self-identify as Indigenous Peoples, with unique traditional knowledge offering rich opportunities for food security, nutrition and biodiversity conservation. The Food and Agriculture Organizations of the United Nations (FAO) together with the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT examined in depth eight Indigenous Peoples' food systems, Inari Sámi people in Finland was one of them, and revealed to be among the most sustainable and resilient in the world in terms of efficiency, no waste, seasonality and reciprocity. In fact, in Finland's Arctic region, through fishing, hunting and herding, the Inari Sámi people food system generates 75% of the protein they consume. Today these systems are at high risk from climate change and the expansion of various industrial and commercial activities.

Speakers

Silje Karine Muotka, Chair of the Sámi Parliament of Norway | Yon Fernández-de-Larrinoa, Head of the Indigenous Peoples Unit, FAO | Sargylana Atlasova, Sakha People, FAO Indigenous Peoples Unit | Polina Shulbaeva, Selkup people, Cultural survival specialist | Sara Elvira Kuhmunen, Sámi people. President of the Sámi youth association | Vyacheslav Shadrin, Chief, Chair of Council of Yukaghir Elders | Jon Petter Gintal, head of section Sámi Parliament of Norway

 

Arctic Indigenous leaders to call on the urgency of developing appropriate policies to support the preservation of the Indigenous Peoples’ food systems that have contributed to preserve the fragile ecosystem of the region. “Global warming goes four times faster in the Artic than in the rest of the world”, highlighted Silje Karine Muotka, Chair of the Saami Parliament of Norway. “We, Indigenous Peoples, have been living in the Arctic for hundreds and even thousands of years, our food and knowledge systems are perfectly tuned to the environment and biodiversity in this region”, added Polina Shulbaeva, from the Selkup people.

 

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Agriculture in Water Scarce contexts event

Friday, 11 NOV, 10:30  Egypt time

 

This session will discuss potential global actions for Agri-food systems transformation through climate-resilient agricultural practices, maintaining ecosystems and maintaining seed genetic diversity, towards more integrated and systemic approaches. Advancing inter-sectoral collaboration, Innovation as well as financing opportunities for improved water and food security will be discussed. The anticipated outcome from this session is an outline of a roadmap for collective global action for Transforming food systems by tackling old assumptions and finding new leverage points.

Register now! |  Livestream: Twitter @FAOIndigenous

 

Speakers

Aly Abousabaa, ICARDA | Amgad Elmahdi, Green Climate Fund | Ambassador Shahira Wahbi, The League of Arab States (LAS) | Ibrahim Adam Dukheri, AOAD | Mohamed Al-Hamdi, FAO | Marcela Masiarik, Federal Foreign Office of the Government of Germany | Yon Fernández de Larrinoa, Head of the Indigenous Peoples Unit, FAO

Yon Fernández de Larrinoa, Head of the Indigenous Peoples Unit, stressed that nomadic and Indigenous Peoples have collected oral knowledge for centuries on how to adapt and live in water-stressed territories. “This knowledge and their ancestral practices should be recognized as part of the solutions to face water scarcity and should be protected by accurate policies”, he added. 

 

 

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Climate-resilient Food Systems and Peace: Exploring the Interconnections

Friday, 11 NOV, 13:15-14:45  Egypt time

Room Thebes - Blue zone

In a new era of risk, the compounding burden of climate change, food insecurity and conflict impacts the most vulnerable. The event will explore the challenges this poses for humanitarian, development and peacebuilding actors and the solutions needed to address these interconnected crises.

FAO Indigenous Peoples Unit will take part in this side event organized by the Fighting Food Crises,  HDP Nexus Coalition, Climate Resilient Food Systems Alliance

Livestream: UNFCCC YouTube channel 

 

Speakers:

Deputy General Secretary g7+, Pakistan Climate Change Minister, Switzerland Ambassador for the Environment, Ukraine Head Water Agency, CGIAR Resilient Agri-Food Systems Director, UNEP Ecosystems Director, FAO’s Indigenous Peoples Unit, Kenya Charter4Change, WFP Berlin Global Office Director

Livestream: UNFCCC YouTube channel & Twitter @FAOIndigenous

 

Yon Fernández de Larrinoa highlighted that there is an urgent need for transformation towards more sustainable and resilient food systems. “Indigenous Peoples’ food systems are healthy, capable of generating food, medicines and livelihoods and preserve ecosystems and biodiversity. They must be at the heart of climate action and climate policies should not be against them”, he concluded.

 

 

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Stories from the desert: Water management in pastoralists and nomadic Indigenous Peoples' food systems

Friday, 11 NOV, 17:45-18:30 Egypt time

 

 Water and Climate Pavilion | Livestream: Water and Climate Pavilion & Twitter @FAOIndigenous

For centuries, pastoralists and nomadic Indigenous Peoples inhabiting desert, and semi-desert territories have developed specific territorial management techniques to access water, depending on the variety of water sources (rainfall, groundwater, watercourses), shaped by ecological and social factors with frequent seasonal variations. This event will provide an opportunity to hear about the knowledge and territorial management systems of pastoralists and nomadic Indigenous Peoples who have inhabited desert and semi-desert ecosystems for hundreds of years. It also aims to identify the current challenges, as well as the practices and knowledge that can contribute to the search for nature-based solutions to water scarcity.

Speakers

Aissatou Oumarou, Association of Peul Women and Indigenous Peoples of Chad, AFPAT | Tania Eulalia Martínez Cruz, Ëyuujk people, Research Associate at Free University of Brussels and Indigenous Peoples and Global Water Processes Consultant at Stockholm International Water Institute | Adam Kuleit Mwarabu, Traditional leader in Maasai community and Director for Parakuiyo pastoralists Indigenous community development organization (Paicodeo) | Mariam Wallet Aboubakrine, Kel Tamasheq people, Co-founder ARRAMAT project | Nigel Crawhall, Chief of Section, Local and Indigenous Knowledge Systems, UNESCO | Yon Fernández de Larrinoa, Head of the Indigenous Peoples Unit, FAO

 

The importance of mobile practices and water management of Indigenous Peoples was developed in-depth at the dialogue “Stories from the desert: Water management in pastoralists and nomadic Indigenous Peoples’ food systems”. Organized by FAO in the Water for Climate Pavilion, this event  provided space for Indigenous leaders to share examples of ancestral practices to read the clouds and adapt their food and territorial management systems to follow the rhythm of the water cycles.

 

 

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Zero Hunger is possible: Solutions to accelerate transforming to climate-resilient agri-food systems

Monday, 14 NOV, 15:00 - 16:30  Egypt time

UN System Pavilion Room 6

The urgent crises of rising hunger caused by the impacts of climate change, conflict and the pandemic stand to have effective solutions through a focused pursuit of transforming agri-food systems. Political leadership, innovation, finance, and local drivers of change are key to increasing resilience. Indigenous Peoples’ representatives Jessica Vega and Vyacheslav Shadrin will participate in this event.

 

 Livestream: 

 

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Indigenous Peoples and producer organizations upscaling biocentric climate action

Wednesday, 16 NOV, 08:30 – 09:30  Egypt time

Food and Agriculture Pavilion

Livestream: http://cop27foodpavilion.cgiar.org/

Indigenous Peoples and forest and farm producer organizations will share more information about their holistic food, knowledge, and territorial management systems, the Indigenous Peoples’ biocentric approach, and their contribution to ecosystem restoration and biodiversity conservation. The event will focus on how to support farmers' organizations and Indigenous Peoples to accelerate climate action.

Organized by FAO Indigenous Peoples Unit, FAO Forest Farm Facility and IUCN

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 Join the conversation on Twitter using #COP27 & #WeAreIndigenous!