Rome - There are around 20.000 bee species in the world. Amongst these, there are 11 known species of honeybee and countless types of stingless bees. Even though the diversity of honey-producing bees is great, the market is dominated by only one species: Apis mellifera, or Western Honey Bee. Other bee species’ products are overlooked and not recognized by international standards, even if they are of paramount importance for Indigenous Peoples and they play fundamental ecosystemic roles.  Apis mellifera are present in every continent apart from Antarctica. Its dissemination has been driven, at least in part, by the economics of pollination and...

Rome - Indigenous Peoples stand at the frontline of climate change and biodiversity loss. These two phenomena increase the pressure on their food and knowledge systems. Over the course of their history, Indigenous Peoples’ food and knowledge systems successfully adapted to a broad range of environmental and climatic conditions: from mountains to oceans, to deserts and jungles. Their understanding of natural cycles and of the interactions within ecosystems, together with the high level of diversity they embed, makes them very resilient. Nevertheless, the pace and the scale of today’s changes in posing some...

Rome - Ecuador joins the Coalition Exactly one year ago, in October 2022, a delegation of Indigenous Youth gathered in the Boassu Food Lab at FAO headquarters in Rome, where they launched the first ever global Coalition on Indigenous Peoples’ Food Systems, led by Indigenous Peoples. It was to be led by Indigenous Peoples, and bring together the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII), Indigenous Peoples’ leaders, UN Agencies and - until Wednesday - nine FAO Members to advance on the respect, preservation and promotion of Indigenous Peoples’ food and knowledge systems.

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...

Rome - On Monday morning 186 Indigenous Youth arrived at FAO headquarters in Rome. They gathered around a sacred fire lit in the middle of the Nomad Indigenous FoodLab, a group of Sámi People’s nomadic tents that travelled all the way from Norway to Italy. Pacha K’anchay, a spiritual guide from Colombia, and Atama Katama, advisor of the Global Indigenous Youth Caucus, led an emotional and immersive moment of prayer: it marked the beginning of the II Session of the United Nations Global Indigenous Youth Forum (UNGIYF).