Indigenous Peoples’ action on the margins of COP16.2: Strengthening ties for a biodiverse, food-secure future

Rome - From 25-27 February 2025, the second session of the 16th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) resumed at FAO headquarters in Rome. Following the successes of the first session of COP16 in Cali, Colombia, in October-November 2024, FAO Indigenous Peoples Unit (PSUI) welcomes the opportunity to continue to advance the agenda of Indigenous Peoples in relation to the CBD.

The first session of the CBD COP16 had seen member states make historic and outstanding commitments on the rights and effective participation of Indigenous Peoples. The meeting resulted in the creation a new Programme of Work on Article 8(j) of the CBD and related provisions of the Convention related to Indigenous Peoples, as well as the creation of a new Subsidiary Body to ensure the full and effective participation of Indigenous Peoples in the works of the Convention.

Now, on the margins of the second session of the COP in Rome, PSUI has been pleased to strengthen its collaborations with Indigenous and political bodies to advance on the new CBD agenda.

Key Highlights

PSUI met with representatives from the Secretariat of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), to build on the momentum of UNCCD COP16 in Riyadh in December 2024. The UNCCD COP had seen the historic adoption of a new Indigenous Peoples’ Caucus, as a meaningful space to exchange knowledge and effectively advise the UNCCD. FAO extends its support to new Indigenous Peoples Caucus and continues to prioritize its collaboration with the UNCCD on the promotion of Indigenous-led restoration actions in arid and dry ecosystems, offering the works of the Indigenous Peoples´ biocentric restoration programme. FAO is also willing to support the works in the frame of the 2024 International Year of Camelids and the  the upcoming International Year on Rangelands and Pastoralists in 2026.  FAO and UNCCD are working of the renovation of a Memorandum of Understanding which will highlight the mutual collaboration on actions related to the work with Indigenous Peoples.

PSUI met also with the Regional Indigenous Council of Cauca (CRIC), one of the Indigenous Peoples Colombian platforms of Cauca, Colombia, to explore synergies between FAO's global Indigenous Peoples' Biocentric Restoration programme and CRIC’s work on conservation and the revitalisation of the cultural and spiritual legacies.

On the further expansion of the that Indigenous Peoples’ biocentric restoration programme, meetings with members of Peru’s Ministry of Environment - Raquel Hilianova Soto Torres, Vice-Minister of Strategic Natural Resources Development- identified ways that Indigenous Peoples’ biocentric restoration in Peru aligned with Peru’s ambitions for its National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plan (NBSAP), national landscape restoration programme, and national strategies for climate change adaptation and mitigation strategy. FAO currently has several biocentric restoration projects underway in Peru, both in the high Andes dryland environment, and in the Peruvian Amazon. The schemes help to regularise the protection of Indigenous Peoples’ lands outside of formal protected areas and support the rescue of ancestral knowledge alongside food systems sustainability.

In addition, PSUI held a meeting with the Undersecretary of Natural Heritage of Ecuador, Glenda Ortega, to discuss the role of the Indigenous Peoples' biocentric restoration program, which has a strong bamboo component for restoring water lenses. This program was developed in collaboration with INBAR in the Ecuadorian Amazon Basin

Also, PSUI had a meeting with the Permanent Mission of Costa Rica to the FAO and the Costa Rican focal point to the CBD to strengthen the collaboration in the construction of the first ever national plan on Indigenous Peoples´ biocentric restoration.

Finally, PSUI and UNDP hold a meeting on the relevance of the GEF Small Grants Programme and how to involve and include Indigenous-led actions such as the Indigenous Peoples' biocentric restoration looking ahead the new GEF-9 replenishment and the ongoing implementation in the frame of the GEF-8.

The second session of the COP16 has seen several other advances relating to Indigenous Peoples, including adopted narrative to recognize the necessity to financially support Indigenous-led actions to conserve biodiversity and promote its sustainable use..

PSUI met with members of the International Indigenous Forum on Biodiversity (IIFB), the Indigenous Caucus to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), currently playing a fundamental role on the implementation of the Programme of Work on Article 8(j) and related provisions of the text of the Convention and the creation of the new Subsidiary Body on these matters. Around 40 Indigenous persons participated, representing all seven socio-cultural regions of the world. During the meeting, both FAO and IIFB reiterated its commitment to partnering work together on topics related to Indigenous Peoples´ food systems, Indigenous Peoples' biocentric restoration and the recognition of the role of Indigenous Peoples in addressing biodiversity loss and climate change. A specific press release on this meeting could be find here.

PSUI co-organized with the Permanent Mission of Colombia to the FAO, an open dialogue session with representatives of Indigenous Peoples and Afro-descendant communities from Colombia. The dialogue aimed to give space to leaders of Indigenous Peoples and Afro-descendant communities to speak openly with diplomats, policy makers and UN agencies, .

FAO continues to strive for the recognition of Indigenous Peoples' food and knowledge systems as game changers in biodiversity conservation. By joining forces and strengthening collaborations with Indigenous Peoples, we get closer to this goal.