Within the framework of the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples, today, FAO has launched a Policy brief on the impact of COVID-19 on indigenous peoples, which includes policy recommendations and actions that should be considered by governments and stakeholders to ensure the cultural and physical survival of indigenous peoples in face of this pandemic.

Every 9th of August, the United Nations commemorates the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples. This year the main theme is “COVID-19 and indigenous peoples resilience”.

Accounting for 476 million living in more than 90 countries, regardless of the level of income of the countries they live in and the severity of the pandemic, indigenous people were already facing preexistent inequalities, discrimination, lack of recognition and invisibility. In some cases, these conditions have lasted over centuries constituting aggravating factors to the current crisis and its socio-economic effects.

The COVID-19 socio-economic impacts have affected indigenous peoples’ food security  differently: Those who rely on their indigenous food systems and have adopted traditional lockdown practices are coping better than other communities who rely heavily on market for their food have identified  hunger as the main effect of the COVID-19 crisis.

Through a video-message to commemorate this day, FAO Director- General, QU Dongyu highlighted that “enhancing indigenous food systems needs to be part of our long term answer to the pandemic,”and he highlighted that FAO considers indigenous peoples as key allies in achieving food security and food diversity for all.

The Policy Brief highlights the importance of work in collaboration with indigenous authorities. It also includes policy recommendations such as including indigenous peoples as recipients of health assistance, ensure indigenous peoples’ communities are among the receivers of personal protective equipment such as masks, gloves and disinfectants, and ensure the collection of disaggregated data on the rate of infection and deaths within indigenous communities, among others. 

These policy recommendations are based on the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP, 2007) and the WHO messages related to COVID-19.

Director General QU Dongyu, reiterated FAOs’ support of indigenous peoples by calling on indigenous peoples“Count on FAO to be a strong partner” and added that “Indigenous peoples’ food system and unique territorial management practices are capable of feeding their communities while showing reverence to nature. We need to learn from their wisdom and benefit from their traditional knowledge.”

Since the start of the pandemic, FAO has provided support to indigenous peoples to coordinate efforts to spread awareness and contain the pandemic.

In March, FAO offered a series of recommendations on Indigenous peoples' health and safety that are at risk due to Coronavirus (COVID-19); urging governments, academia, NGOs, international community and indigenous peoples authorities to take specific measures that ensure the respect to indigenous peoples’ rights during the pandemic. This came alongside the creation of a webpage dedicated to sharing information on COVID-19 and Indigenous Peoples Health and Safety.

In addition, FAO brought together Indigenous leaders and Governments to discuss indigenous territories main challenges in the face of COVID-19.

As indicated by indigenous leaders, the impact of the pandemic depends largely on the health and the sustainability of their traditional food systems, and knowledge systems.  Next month, FAO will launch the Global Hub on Indigenous People Food Systems to support the exchange of knowledge between indigenous organizations, universities, research centres and the UN. An initiative bringing together actors to create the right synergies for dialogue and policy development.