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Indigenous Peoples

A week to reverse wrong narratives on Indigenous Peoples’ food and knowledge systems: Recentering Indigenous Peoples as rights and knowledge holders 

A Statement by the Global-Hub on Indigenous Peoples’ Food and Knowledge Systems 

16 October 2026 

The Global-Hub on Indigenous Peoples’ Food and Knowledge Systems held its fourth in-person meeting at FAO headquarters within the Indigenous Peoples’ Territory, on 12-16 October 2026.  

The Indigenous Peoples Territory welcomed more than 300 participants, including more than 120 Indigenous and non-Indigenous experts and Indigenous Youth from about 40 Indigenous Peoples’ organizations, 55 universities and research centres, and 23 Global-Hub members. 

Over the week, the Global-Hub Expert meeting hosted more than 40 sessions, including one Joint Fora in collaboration with the Science and Innovation Forum, two exchanges of knowledge on (1) the problematic use of the conflation of “Indigenous Peoples” with “local communities” and on (2) Indigenous Peoples’ biocentric restoration.  

The Global-Hub Expert meeting hosted 5 highlighted sessions on (1) Snowlands of Earth, (2) One year Anniversary with HOPE Room of MuNe, (3) Indigenous Youth and Council of Edlers, (4) Indigenous Peoples’ food systems and genetic resources, and (5) Fire Stewardship in Indigenous Peoples’ Biocentric Restoration and rights of nature.  

Throughout the week, the Global-Hub Expert meeting has called attention upon wrong narratives on Indigenous Peoples and on the importance to realign them.  

  • Is your science better than other?​ Indigenous Peoples' knowledge and ways of knowing are real sustainability. Look at how long Indigenous Peoples have been living in harmony with nature​. 
  • Are you born vulnerable?​ Neither are Indigenous Peoples. Violation of their rights puts them in situations of vulnerability. 
  • Why would you think the people who live in the forest destroy them?​ Forests are home, food store, medicine of many Indigenous Peoples across the world.  
  • ​Is mobility really primitive?​ Indigenous Peoples mobile ways of living is a demonstration of adaptability and sustainability. Their resilience shows.​ 
  • Why do we call development biodiversity loss and climate change?​ Indigenous Peoples were never behind development. Whenever they exercise their own development, they lead sustainability far ahead​. 

In this context, the Global-Hub on Indigenous Peoples’ Food and Knowledge Systems reaffirms that food should never be a means of pressure, division and/or conflict but rather a source of life, dignity, solidarity and peace in accordance with states’ obligations under international human rights and other relevant instruments. 

In the dedicated technical tent, the Global-Hub experts held nine technical sessions spanning on the advancement of the 2025-2026 Action plan and its ongoing 13 drafting committees. 

The Global-Hub Expert meeting provided the opportunity to present some of the work achieved this year.  

In 2026, the Global-Hub and its members released three publications.  

The White/Te Oranga paper on Indigenous Peoples - Overcoming non-inclusive rural transformation; a collective paper which traces poverty gap to historical and ongoing dispossession and shows how states can address this barrier in partnership with Indigenous Peoples. 

Preserving Indigenous Peoples’ values and rights in food composition programmes: A call for agreed international guidelines; a journal article, recalling that preserving Indigenous Peoples’ values, rights, and sovereignty within food composition programmes is both an ethical obligation and a scientific necessity. Coordinated by the drafting committee on Indigenous Peoples’ food composition. 

Restoring the mana of the moana for ecological and food systems resilience in the Hauraki Gulf, a comment piece in Nature food highlighting the essential role of Indigenous Peoples’ rights, customs and leadership in marine conservation, and highlighting the case study of the Māori co-governance in the frame of the Hauraki Gulf/Tīkapa Moana Marine Protection Act 2025. Coordinated by members of the drafting committee on Ocean and freshwater-based food systems.  

This year, the Global-Hub had provided significant contribution to the V0 draft of the HLPE report on Indigenous Peoples food and knowledge systems in the context of the public online consultation.  

In addition, the Global-Hub has reached a final manuscript of the upcoming White/Johtit Paper on mobility for Indigenous Peoples and biodiversity. The term Johtit refers to the verb to move, to journey in the context of reindeer herding in Sámi languages and in the context of Indigenous reindeer herding. It reflects the idea of following the reindeers and their migration routes during transhumance. While proudly named “Johtit Paper”, this document refers to all forms of mobility of Indigenous Peoples in their food and knowledge systems.   

In addition, during the week, the Global-Hub closed the final manuscript of the upcoming collective paper The White/Janal paper on the impacts of ultra-processed foods on Indigenous Peoples’ health and food systems. “Janal” is a Yucatec Maya term that carries the ideas of “food” and “to eat” at the same time. The fact that this word connects the two ideas is important. If there is no connection between food and eating, one could eat something that is not necessarily food.  

At the issue of the week, the Global-Hub decided to close three drafting committees and working lines on:  

  1. Support to the HLPE process on Indigenous Peoples’ food and knowledge systems  
  2. Indigenous Peoples: From discrimination and marginalization to inclusive, meaningful, and effective participation. 
  3. Collective paper on mobility within Indigenous Peoples' strategies for food, livelihoods and territoriality, and its importance for biodiversity conservation  

In addition, the experts of the Global-Hub have reaffirmed their commitment to advance the work on the following drafting committees 

  1. Indigenous Peoples and social protection 
  2. Indigenous Peoples’ food and knowledge systems as conservation 
  3. Indigenous Peoples and food security 
  4. Ocean and freshwater-based Indigenous Peoples’ food systems 
  5. Impacts of ultra-processed foods on Indigenous Peoples  
  6. Preserving Indigenous Peoples’ values and rights in food composition programmes 
  7. Sustainability and resilience of the food systems of Indigenous hunter-gatherers 
  8. Guidelines on knowledge co-creation and ethical engagement with Indigenous Peoples  

The Global-Hub on Indigenous Peoples’ Food and Knowledge Systems remains committed to its technical work and co-creation processes to organize evidence with Indigenous and non-Indigenous experts that support FAO Members carrying informed policy discussions.  

In particular, the Global-Hub remains available to provide evidence -based advice to the Rome Group of Friends and any policy discussions at FAO and beyond related to food, agriculture and genetic resources, agrifood systems, nutrition, fishing, forestry, biodiversity, climate change, rural transformation, science and innovation, land tenure and others.