Sixteen women from across the Cordillera Administrative Region and Mindanao represented the Philippines in the National Leadership School of Indigenous Women spearheaded by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the International Indigenous Women Forum (IIWF-FIMI). Implemented in Bolivia, Peru, India and the Philippines, the programme seeks to empower indigenous women leaders and activists to advocate for human rights, food and nutrition security. FAO reports that while indigenous peoples constitute only about 5% of the world’s population – most are in Asia – they account for about 15% of the world’s poor. The main causes of...

"FAO is well aware that indigenous peoples are among the hardest hit by climate change because of the impact climatic variability has in their livelihoods and food security," said Mr. Yon Fernandez de Larrinoa, FAO Indigenous Peoples' Focal Point during the 15th Session of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII) at the UN Headquarters on May 11, 2016. "Since the last session of this Permanent Forum, numerous important developments have taken place. Without any doubt, the most important one has been the recently approved System-Wide Action Plan (SWAP) for ensuring a coherent approach to achieving the ends of the United...

United Nations expert, political analyst and longstanding activist for the rights of indigenous peoples, Álvaro Pop was also for several months a FAO consultant and focal point for indigenous peoples in his home country, Guatemala. He has been now appointed to chair the Fifteenth Session of the Permanent Forum of Indigenous Issues. In this interview, he gives us his insight on the work of FAO with indigenous peoples and the challenges that come ahead in this new session of the Permanent Forum which will focus on the theme "Indigenous Peoples: conflicts, peace and resolution."  Álvaro, congratulations for this new appointment. What...

El Foro Internacional de Mujeres Indígenas-FIMI y la Organización de las Naciones Unidas para la Alimentación y la Agricultura- FAO, anuncian la apertura de la segunda edición del Programa de Derechos Humanos, Seguridad Alimentaria y Nutrición; a realizarse en El Salvador, Panamá y Paraguay. El programa consta de tres etapas, bajo la modalidad de dos encuentros presenciales de formación y un proceso de facilitación de aprendizajes en línea a través de una plataforma virtual. Comprendiendo una duración de 10 meses calendario, iniciando en junio de 2016 y concluyendo en marzo de 2017. El principal objetivo de este Programa es fortalecer las...

From February 14 to the 19th, 25 indigenous peoples' representatives and experts from Costa Rica, Guatemala, El Salvador, Panama, Nicaragua and Honduras met in Panama City to learn and discuss on the practical uses of the Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests in the Context of National Food Security (VGGT) for indigenous peoples. This capacity-building initiative, which is being implemented in partnership with Centro para la Autonomía y Desarrollo de los Pueblos Indígenas (CADPI), has been build up to support indigenous peoples in improving their tenure issues, in particular by strengthening their capacity...