Global Water Tenure Dialogue discussed at CFS50 side event on Collective rights to natural resources for indigenous food systems
For the global community, insecure rights of Indigenous Peoples on their lands, waters and territories represents an immeasurable cost in form of lost opportunities for climate mitigation, conservation, ecological restoration and sustainable food systems. Due to the increasing water demand, coupled with the predicted impacts of climate change, the lack of recognition of collective water tenure poses a significant challenge for Indigenous Peoples’ communities worldwide.
To raise these issues, and within the framework of the 10th anniversary of the Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests (VGGT), the UN Decade of Ecosystem Restoration and the International Year of Artisanal Fisheries and Aquaculture 2022, the Indigenous peoples team, the land tenure team and the Knowat project organized a CFS side-event Collective rights to lands, water, territories, and natural resources for sustainable Indigenous Peoples’ food systems and biocentric restoration.
The side-event discussed emerging issues related to collective rights to lands, water and natural resources, successful interventions and relevance of instruments, such as the VGGT. In addition, concrete experiences of recognition of customary rights were presented showing the importance of indigenous peoples' collective tenure of land, water and natural resources in global debates on transforming food systems and the climate crisis.
During the event, the teams announced the recent mandate given to FAO by 28th COAG to start a Global Dialogue on Water tenure.
>>> Watch the recording of the event and download the materials here (available soon)