On the 14th and 15th of March, Minister Sônia Guajajara, attended, together with Indigenous researchers from the world and experts from UN Agencies such as the FAO, IFAD, UNESCO and UNDP, the workshop on Indigenous Peoples’ knowledge and the Sciences, organized by the Pontifical Academy of Sciences and the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences at the Vatican City.

The two-day workshops focused on the importance of combining traditional knowledge and sciences to strengthen the resilience needed in the face of some of the most urgent global challenges: climate change, biodiversity loss, food insecurity, and health issues. 

Speaking from the stage, Her Excellency Sonia Guajajara, Brazil’s Minister of Indigenous Peoples, announced that her country is joining the Coalition on Indigenous Peoples’ Food Systems, whose secretariat is held by the FAO Indigenous Peoples Unit. Brazil is the 14th FAO Members State to become part of the Coalition.

“FAO congratulates Brazil and Minister Guajajara for her work in recognizing that Indigenous Peoples hold great lessons for the rest of the planet that should be shared widely,” said FAO Deputy Director-General Maria Helena Semedo who accepted Brazil’s letter of accession. “Indigenous Peoples are guardians of much of the world’s ecosystems and key allies for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and international climate and biodiversity commitments,” she added.

The Coalition on Indigenous Peoples’ Food Systems

The Coalition brings together Indigenous Peoples, FAO Members and UN Agencies in a joint effort for a just transformation of food systems. Founded in 2021, in recent months it gained momentum, welcoming 5 new Members. As of today, the Coalition involves Indigenous representatives from the seven sociocultural regions, the chair of the UN Permanent Forum of Indigenous Peoples’ Issues (UNPFII), UN Agencies FAO, IFAD, WFP, UNESCO, PAHO and UNEP. Also, 14 FAO Members: Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Finland, Ireland, Lesotho, Mexico, Norway, New Zealand, Panama and Spain.

The recognition on the contributions from Indigenous Peoples’ knowledge systems is the first step to promote Indigenous Peoples’ food systems. This immense body of diverse knowledge should be recognized not only by the academic world, but also by policy-making platforms. And there are steps that are being taken in this direction. In that sense, the Coalition on Indigenous Peoples’ Food Systems is walking on this path: besides other accomplishments, it achieved the inclusion of a dedicated workstream on “Preserving, strengthening and promoting Indigenous Peoples’ food and knowledge systems and traditional practices for sustainable food systems” within the 2024-2027 Programme of Work of the Committee on World Food Security.

Indigenous Peoples’ food and knowledge systems are essential for the transformations the world needs. The greatest challenges of our times can be overcome  by building on the Indigenous Peoples’ food and knowledge systems built by Indigenous Peoples over hundreds and thousands of years: humanity’s lifebelt for the future.

The Coalition on Indigenous Peoples’ Food Systems was established to enable Indigenous Peoples to work with Member States, the United Nations, the private sector, bilateral and multilateral development institutions, and all other stakeholders to build healthy, equitable and sustainable food systems. It has the main goals of strengthen, increase recognition of, and promote respect for Indigenous Peoples’ food systems, as well as disseminate and scale up traditional knowledge and best practices from Indigenous Peoples’ food systems with the potential to transform global food systems at large.