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).  

Join the UN Global Indigenous Youth Forum (UNGIYF). Click here to know more! The biennial United Nations Global Indigenous Youth Forum (UNGIYF) is the only Indigenous-related high-level forum hosted by the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO). This UN Forum results from a 2017 recommendation from UNDESA to FAO through the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII), which built upon FAO´s work with the Global Indigenous Youth Caucus (GIYC) in 2017 and the Rome Declaration on Indigenous Youth. The inaugural Forum was hosted online in 2021 by the GIYC, Indigenous Champions of the UN Food Systems Summit...

The International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples observed on 9 August commemorates the establishment by ECOSOC in 1982 of the UN Working Group on Indigenous Populations. This year´s theme places Indigenous Youth as agents of change at the centre of discussions on Climate Action,  Green Transition, Mobilization for Justice, and Intergenerational connections.   We join the world in honoring Indigenous Youth as Agents of Change and the work they are leading at the ground level, as well as at the national, regional and international levels. Today, the FAO Indigenous Peoples Unit pays tribute to the working relationship with the Global Indigenous...

As we mark five months since the passing of a cherished soul, the FAO Indigenous Peoples Unit (PSUI) would like to honour and remember Hinewirangi Kohu-Morgan. She was a Maori artist, poet, and activist from Aotearoa (New Zealand) who impacted our hearts and the causes she championed. Hinewirangi's creativity and solid commitment to justice were the hallmarks of her life. Her art captured the essence of Maori culture, while she fought for the rights and well-being of Indigenous Peoples through her activism.  It is with great gratitude that we recall her collaboration with FAO PSUI in drafting the FAO work programme on...