The UN Rome Group of Friends of Indigenous Peoples looks forward into 2026 joint support to Indigenous Peoples

Rome - As 2025 draws to an end, the UN Rome Group of Friends of Indigenous Peoples met to analyse the results of the work done this year and look into strengthened commitment to continue supporting FAO’s work with Indigenous Peoples in 2026. Since the Group was first created in Rome by Canada and the FAO Indigenous Peoples Unit in 2019, several meetings have taken place, more countries have joined, consolidating and giving it more relevance. Nowadays, the Group counts more than 48 FAO Members. 

This 17th meeting of the UN Rome Group of Friends of Indigenous Peoples, highlighted how the work with Indigenous Peoples is crosscutting across the mandate of the FAO. Indigenous Peoples are recognized as key allies for ensuring food security, nutrition, biodiversity conservation and sustainable use, climate action and combating land degradation. This role of Indigenous Peoples as game-changers is gaining attention and momentum in international agendas, especially under the technical guidance of the Global-Hub on Indigenous Peoples’ Food and Knowledge systems.

On the 9th December 2025, this 17th meeting of the UN Rome Group of Friends – took place in the newly inaugurated FAO MuNe's FoodS Lab. The meeting was hosted by the Permanent Missions of Guatemala and Colombia, as co-chairs of the UN Rome Group of Friends, offering a working breakfast prepared by Chef Guzman from Colombia and the Chef Diana Beltran. The occasion made us recalled in real time how Indigenous Peoples’ food and knowledge systems are synonyms of diversity, reciprocity,  nutrition and innovation.

The UN Rome Group of Friends allowed for an informal discussion and dialogue around two pivotal focus areas of  work with Indigenous Peoples in the upcoming period: the agenda of the Global-Hub on Indigenous Peoples’ Food and Knowledge systems in relation to the 2026-2027 CFS, the 2026 UN Global Indigenous Youth Forum (UNGIYF) in FAO Rome, as well as the work of the of the FAO Indigenous Peoples Unit on different cross-cutting areas of work including Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) and the relevance of the Global Programme on Indigenous Peoples’ Biocentric Restoration.

Countries agreed on how strategic 2026 was for the UN Rome-based Agencies work on Indigenous Peoples. In particular, the lead strategic advisory role of the Global-Hub in  supporting the HLPE-FSN report on Indigenous Peoples’ food and knowledge systems, feeding the 2027 CFS policy discussions. UN Rome Group of Friends members were particularly concerned about the future of the UN Global Indigenous Youth Forum (UNGIYF). The Secretariat explained the risk of disappearance of the Forum if resources are not mobilized on time. Originally scheduled in 2025, and taking place every two years to ensure coordination with the IFAD forum on Indigenous Peoples, The UNGIYF organized by the FAO Indigenous Peoples Unit with the Global Indigenous Youth Caucus (GIYC) follows a recommendation from the UNDESA/ECOSOC to FAO to organize and maintain this Forum. 

Several UN Rome Group of Friends members were concerned about the lack of resources to ensure both the continuity of the work of the Global-Hub on Indigenous Peoples’ Food and Knowledge Systems and the celebration of the UNGIYF in 2026. The Secretariat thanked Ireland and Spain for their support to both, as well as to Canada, Norway, Mexico and other countries for their long-standing political and financial support to FAO’s work with Indigenous Peoples.

The FAO Indigenous Peoples Unit presented how the work in FAO on Indigenous Peoples is connected to the technical committees of the Organization (COAG, COFI, COFO, the Commission of Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, amongst others), the work in the frame of the three Rio Conventions (UNCCD, UNFCCC and CBD) and how this work is achieved in close collaboration with other FAO bodies, divisions and UN agencies. This 17th meeting of the UN Rome Group of Friends was opened by both Yasmina Bouziane, Director of the FAO Office of Communications (OCC), and Lauren Phillips, newly appointed Director of the FAO Division of Partnerships and UN Collaboration (PSU). Amongst the participants,  the CFS newly appointed Chair  attended and a representative from IFAD introduced their work. 

During the meeting, several FAO Members — including Canada, Panama, Peru and Brazil, and in particular Guatemala and Colombia as co-chairs — reaffirmed the relevance of FAO’s work with Indigenous Peoples and the importance of ensuring financial support to strengthen these endeavours. Eventually, this December meeting of the UN Rome Group of Friends ended, in many ways, with HOPE. In this context, the UN Rome group of Friends had requested a dedicated guided visit to HOPE Indigenous Peoples’ room of the FAO Museum, explaining on detail Indigenous Peoples and their food and knowledge systems rich in traditions and cutting-edge innovations. 

The value of “hope” was an integral part of the entire meeting, with the hope that with the support of FAO Members, FAO can continue to pursue along with the UN Rome-based Agencies other UN Agencies and Indigenous Peoples’ organizations, the critical work on Indigenous Peoples’ food and knowledge systems to address biggest challenges the humanity is facing: climate change, biodiversity loss, land degradation, malnutrition and food insecurity. 

FAO PSUI Acknowledges "El Tiburon" restaurant, Rome, for the support in the organisation of the event.