FAO requests that the participation of indigenous peoples be respected

Indigenous peoples must be considered an essential part of any development programme, says The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)in the frame International Day of Indigenous Peopleswhich is celebrated every August 9.

Protecting their livelihood systems and ancestral practices and knowledge can contribute to new solutions to combat food insecurity and malnutrition, poverty and environmental degradation.

FAO emphasized the need to promote the necessary mechanisms to respect, include and promote issues related to indigenous peoples in its global work.

“While we recognize the enormous contribution of indigenous communities to sustainable and equitable development, action needs to be stepped up to reduce the socioeconomic gaps they face and hinder the achievement of full development with identity,” said FAO’s Indigenous Peoples Specialist for Central America, Verónica Chicas .

Indigenous peoples are still disproportionately affected by environmental degradation, political-economic marginalization and development activities that negatively affect their ecosystems, livelihoods, cultural heritage and nutritional status, Chicas said.

This vulnerability to various adversities implies that indigenous peoples require special attention in order to benefit from development, on their own terms.

“Establishing unambiguous and legally supported rights, which guarantee access to resources such as land, water, food, seeds and livestock systems, is a priority for the survival of indigenous livelihoods. As well as investments in conservation measures and technology,” they recommend.

FAO’s policy on indigenous and tribal peoples details a number of key mechanisms to guarantee the full participation of these peoples, one of which is the principle and right to “free, prior and informed consent”, which requires States and organizations of all types and at all levels to obtain the approval of indigenous peoples before the adoption and implementation of projects, programs or legislative and administrative measures that could affect them.

This principle emphasizes that indigenous peoples must be included in consultative processes, the time required for these processes must be respected, and information about the possible effects of activities must be published in advance.

Legitimate consultation measures ensure that planned activities or actions correspond to the concerns and interests of indigenous peoples, thereby enabling a freely determined development process.

“Indigenous peoples claim full and effective participation in all phases of any measure that may directly or indirectly affect them. This implies that indigenous peoples must be included as competent and legitimate stakeholders in projects or initiatives that affect their sphere of existence,” says FAO.

FAO has repeatedly reiterated that indigenous peoples are providers of valuable knowledge and skills that contribute to sustainable development and sustainable management of natural resources.

“Their agricultural practices, which have shown great adaptability and resilience in the past, continue to play an important role in the acclimatization, conservation and adaptation of genetic resources and agricultural biodiversity at all levels,” added the FAO expert.

Verónica Chicas added that the practices of indigenous peoples in the fields of agriculture, hunting, gathering, fishing, animal husbandry and forestry often integrate economic, environmental, social and cultural considerations. At the same time, many groups have developed knowledge systems, technologies and institutions for the sustainable management of local biodiversity.

“Furthermore, traditional diets and coping mechanisms utilized this unique ability especially in difficult times and played a key role in the ability of many indigenous peoples to survive in extreme conditions,” he said.

According to the FAO, this fact represents an important contribution to the historical development of the world’s agricultural and food systems. Using the expertise derived from this cultural heritage and historical legacy is an important resource to address the challenges facing food and agriculture today and in the future. Therefore, development programs that take advantage of this knowledge from the past and seek to dynamically protect traditional systems from losses that should not occur are key.