The Global-Hub on Indigenous Peoples' Food Systems, endorsed by the FAO Committee on Agriculture at its 27^th session in 2020, recently convened thanks to the generous support of the Norwegian government. Over 70 Indigenous and non-Indigenous experts worldwide gathered in FAO Rome, where they discussed and agreed on the urgent need for evidence generation that would influence policy-making related to Indigenous Peoples’ food and knowledge systems.

"Some communities are on the brink of losing their food systems entirely, making it crucial to act now", says Sefano M. Katz from the Pacific Blue Foundation, highlighting the urgency of the situation.

The establishment of four drafting committees and three working groups by the Global-Hub is one of the most significant outcomes of the meeting. These will be instrumental in addressing gaps between Indigenous Peoples’ knowledge systems and scientific knowledge and generate evidence that would contribute to addressing issues related to the rights of Indigenous Peoples and their food and knowledge systems.

"The Global-Hub plays a crucial role in filling the gap between Indigenous Peoples' knowledge and policy-making," said Dario Mejia Montalvo, Chair of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues. "Indigenous Peoples' food systems are essential for our planet, and evidence of their importance is needed to inform and influence policy-making."

In particular, the Global-Hub put its commitment into practice and laid the foundations of its work plan that would technically support the pivotal effort of the Coalition on Indigenous Peoples’ Food Systems towards the recognition, preservation and promotion of Indigenous Peoples’ food and knowledge systems worldwide.

"We thank all Indigenous Peoples for inclusively embracing the Coalition. The Coalition is an effort owned by Indigenous Peoples. Still, we must keep working to reach our objectives,” said Miguel García Winder, Permanent Representative of Mexico to the Rome Based UN Agencies. “We need to have the scientific and empirical evidence that we can share”, he added. 

Another essential highlight lies in the establishment of a drafting committee to support the collective writing of the new Wiphala Paper on the mobility of Indigenous Peoples and associated livelihoods and collective rights to land, territories and natural resources. The paper will aim to demonstrate how Indigenous Peoples’ territorial practices sustain biodiversity and preserve ecosystems, sharing evidence of the positive impacts of their sacred guardianship of biodiversity.

On this point, "Indigenous Peoples' food and knowledge systems continue to generate food while maintaining biodiversity and ecosystems. We need to learn from them," stated Maximo Torero, FAO Chief Economist. The paper will therefore show the fundamental importance of guaranteeing Indigenous Peoples’ collective rights if we want to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.

Moreover, Indigenous and non-Indigenous experts have recently met with scientists to address poverty in the context of a new development agenda. The Global-Hub aims to draft a global paper shedding light on the causes of poverty, food insecurity and marginalization faced by Indigenous Peoples. The discussions also revealed that the lack of respect for their rights perpetuates poverty and discrimination, revealing the underlying pain Indigenous Peoples’ communities have endured for ages in their interaction with dominant cultures.

The other drafting committees will work on co-creation of knowledge and good research practices, standard of practices to guide ecosystem restoration, and food security and nutrition. Efforts will lead to technical papers or guidelines that would advise on how to work with Indigenous Peoples towards their highest level of well-being in a way that complies with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. A drafting committee that would reflect on the Global-Hub’s strategic plan for 2023-2025 has also been set up to identify work priorities for the two years to come.

Finally, the participants also made progress in examining critical global policy processes, such as the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) COP15 and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) COP27. The discussions also covered ongoing processes related to the implementation of the UN decades on Water, Indigenous languages, Nutrition and Ocean, and the dialogue on amending the FAO International Code of Conduct on Pesticide Management to include Indigenous Peoples' concerns, views, and contributions were also discussed.

The Global-Hub will continue to work towards bridging the gap between evidence on Indigenous Peoples' food systems and policymaking.  Nakimayak, Inuvialuit leader and vice president of the Inuit Circumpolar Council, affirmed: "Indigenous Peoples' knowledge systems have existed for thousands of years. We need policymakers and UN organizations to listen to our voices to succeed. Our strength lies in unity; we can only progress if our voices are loud and united".

For more information about the Global-Hub, visit the dedicated webpage here.