This presentation by Susan M. Braatz was given at a session titled "How indigenous peoples use landscapes approaches to conserve forests: Good practices and challenges for food security and livelihoods" at the Global Landscapes Forum in Lima, Peru, on December 6, 2014. The panel focused on the roles and contributions of indigenous women in landscape forest management. Also, the experiences from REDD+ in Asia were shared, linking it with the land use of indigenous peoples.

1. FAO and Indigenous Peoples
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations – for a world without hunger

2. Indigenous Peoples
• More than 370 million indigenous people spread across 70
countries worldwide.
• 5 % of the world’s total population, yet 15 % of the global poor.
• They are holders of unique languages, knowledge systems & beliefs
and possess invaluable knowledge of practices for the sustainable
management of natural resources.
• Special relation to their lands, territories and resources which
have a fundamental importance for their collective physical and
cultural survival as peoples.
• Own diverse concepts of development, based on their traditional
values, visions, needs & priorities.
• Main issues: lack of political representation & participation,
economic marginalization & poverty, lack of access to social services
and discrimination.
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations – for a world without hunger

3. Core principles
• Self-determination
• Development with identity
• Free, prior & informed consent
• Participation and inclusion
• Rights over land and other natural resources
• Cultural rights
• Collective rights
• Gender equality
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations – for a world without hunger

4. FAO Priority Areas of Work with IPs
FAO Policy on Indigenous & Tribal Peoples (201o)
• Natural resources, environment and genetic
resources
• Climate change and bio-energy
• Land and territories
• Food security, nutrition and the right to food
• Communication and knowledge systems
• Cultural and biological diversity
• Economic opportunity for sustainable livelihoods
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations – for a world without hunger

5. What is FAO’s work with Indigenous Peoples?
Awareness
raising
Capacity
development tools
Support to
countries
Strengthening
partnerships
E-learning
Technical guides
Learning
programmes

6. The Voluntary Guidelines on Tenure and
Indigenous Peoples
• Specifically refer to ILO 169, the UN Declaration on the Rights of
Indigenous Peoples and the CBD as standards that States should
recognize, protect, promote and implement.
• Call upon States and other parties to hold good faith consultation with
indigenous peoples before initiating any project or measure affecting the
resources for which they hold rights, in order to obtain their free, prior
and informed consent.
• Recognize the right of self determination and self governance of tenure.
• States should recognize and protect legitimate tenure rights of indigenous
peoples and consider adapting their policy, legal and organizational
frameworks to recognize tenure systems of indigenous peoples.
• Encourage participation of indigenous peoples in the development of laws
and policies related to their tenure systems and calls, where necessary, for
assistance to communities to increase the capacity of their members to
participate fully in decision-making and governance of their tenure systems.
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations – for a world without hunger

7. Engagement with Indigenous Peoples’
in relation to the VGGT
• National workshops on the VGGT  inclusion of
indigenous peoples’ representatives, analysis of main issues
related to tenure in the countries.
• Study “ An assessment of the VGGT and their
relevance and usefulness for Indigenous Peoples”
 currently gathering concrete examples of implementation
of the VGGT.
• Governance of tenure technical guide: Respecting FPIC.
• 7 case studies on “Shifting cultivation,
livelihood and food security” and
regional multi-stakeholder workshop
in August 2014 in collaboration
with AIPP
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations – for a world without hunger

8. Technical guides relevant for IPs
Underway: Technical guide on Pastoralism and Rangelands
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations – for a world without hunger

9. Thank you!
Yon Fernández de Larrinoa
Yon.FernandezLarrinoa@fao.org
Emma Jessie McGhie
Emma.Mcghie@fao.org
Delivered by Susan Braatz
http://www.fao.org/docrep/013/i1857e/i1857e00.htm
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations – for a world without hunger

10. Key Challenges and Recommendations
• Strengthen capacity at national level to implement the Voluntary Guidelines
on the Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests in
the Context of National Food Security, including the guidelines on
indigenous peoples and other communities with customary tenure systems.
• Government agencies adopt policies and practices that respect and protect
FPIC, and civil society organizations, land users and private investors
globally comply with their responsibilities in relation to FPIC.
• All stakeholders continue to work to raise awareness that indigenous
knowledge and traditional practices are assets rather than barriers to efforts
to achieve universal food security.
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations – for a world without hunger