Indigenous women are key allies in the fight against hunger and malnutrition. They contribute to sustainable livelihoods as food producers, guardians of native seeds and custodians of traditional knowledge. Yet they are invisible, and their rights are not recognized nor protected. The Global Campaign for the Empowerment of Indigenous Women for Zero Hunger, launched by FAO, FIMI and Notimia, aims at making indigenous women’s challenges and contributions visible as a necessary step to “leave no one behind” in the achievement of the Sustainable Development Agenda.

From 16-27 April 2018, the Seventeenth Session of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues is took place under the theme: “Indigenous peoples’ collective rights to lands, territories and resources”. As this theme directly links to FAO’s mandate, FAO Director-General, José Graziano da Silva, delivered a video-message in which he stressed the need to address the extreme poverty faced by indigenous peoples worldwide to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.

Indigenous women and men should have equal rights to lands and territories. In some communities indigenous women are marginalize and do not have access to land. Increase the visibility of indigenous women will raise awareness of these challenges they face. The Global Campaign for the Empowerment of Indigenous Women for Zero Hunger, launched by FAO, FIMI and Notimia, aims at making indigenous women’s challenges and contributions visible as a necessary step to “leave no one behind” in the achievement of the Sustainable Development Agenda.

Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) is a specific right that pertains to indigenous peoples and is recognized in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP). FPIC allows indigenous peoples to give or withhold consent to any project that may affect them or their territories. Once they have given their consent, they can withdraw it at any stage. Through the FPIC process, indigenous peoples are able to negotiate the conditions under which the project will be designed, implemented, monitored and evaluated. This is also embedded within the universal right to self-determination.