2nd Session of the UN Global Indigenous Youth Forum - Opening Remarks

2^nd Session of the UN Global Indigenous Youth Forum   

Opening Remarks

by

Dr QU Dongyu, FAO Director-General 

17 October 2023

  

Dear Indigenous representatives and friends

 

1.     Welcome to the UN Global Indigenous Youth Forum, which FAO is pleased to co-host together with the Global Indigenous Youth Caucus and the Association of World Reindeer Herders.

 

2.     And we are happy to host for the second time the BO-A-ZU Nomad Arctic Indigenous FoodLab. I really appreciate the ambassadors of Mexico and Norway. You are always championing the support of this initiative, along with other colleagues and friends of indigenous peoples and their communities.

 

3.     This year we have more than two tents, and even an apartment. Tracing back to one million years ago when our ancestors were living in a small cave or a single room, this is truly a manifestation of the evolution of humankind’s livelihood. Today we are living in a highly efficient and fast society, not in a way that our ancestors can compete with.  

 

4.     I am delighted to meet so many familiar faces from the World Reindeer Association, SAW-A-MI leaders, and many of my colleagues from across the UN system, especially the President of IFAD and the COO of WFP. You are from the west. I’m from the east. But we are the same humankind that shares the same ancestor – the Indigenous Peoples.  According to scientific research and genetic sequencing, we are identical genetically despite our minor differences in color, shape and hairs. This is the make of single-nucleotide polymorphism. We are closer to each other than any other mammal species.

 

5.     Today’s event reflects FAO’s commitment to Indigenous Peoples, to your food, to their knowledge, and ultimately to our ancestors, culture and civilization. You are carriers of our ancestors and civilization. Just now, we have witnessed together the ritual and ceremonies of Indigenous Peoples. This gave us a chance to observe your culture and religion from different angles. We can find that, back into hundreds or thousands of years ago, we are the same humankind.

 

6.     Today, I have 3 thoughts I want to share with you regarding how much we have to learn from Indigenous Peoples and their communities and traditions:

 

• First: their valuable knowledge brings together tradition AND innovation.

Innovation doesn’t take place in a vacuum. It comes from our civilization roots, including the traditional indigenous knowledge.

• Second: your agrifood systems are grounded alive, and are contributing to your livelihood in their local communities. This is a tradition in line with sustainability, upheld for millennials. We are here today talking about how to learn your real experiences in sustainability. While being aware of the need of efficiency and intensive management, we should remember that the true roots and original values of sustainability lie in your communities and the best practices. AND,

 

• Third: your leadership as custodians of the world’s biodiversity and as innovators is key to ensuring food security and healthy diets for the future. We should also integrate traditional knowledge and best practices into modern technologies. We should keep ourselves open-minded and be inclusive towards new evolution.

 

Dear Friends,

 

7.  We find ourselves at a crossroad: we face hunger and malnutrition, and the impacts of the climate crisis are causing extreme weather conditions that are happening more frequently.

 

8.  Tens of years ago, in Europe and the Americas, people within the agrifood system can rely on the natural rainfall for water supplies. However, here in Europe in the past 4 years, we have repeatedly witnessed severe droughts and floods. The only solution is to build a resilient and sustainable agrifood system by focusing on Better Production, Better Nutrition, Better Environment and a Better Life, leaving no one behind.

 

9.  The Four Betters are introduced to fulfil FAO’s new Strategic Framework. Instead of being my own idea, this arises from a process of global consultation that was conducted in bottom-up and top-down approach.   

 

10.  Thanks to the inclusiveness of this process, we are able to incorporate multidimensional culture experiences and agricultural practices from ancient time, different continents, and countries such as China, India, Iraq and Ethiopia.  This is a truly global consensus.

 

11.  I strongly encourage all indigenous peoples and friends to implement the FOUR Betters in your local communities and governance. By applying the principle of FOUR Betters, you will be able to establish a new way of agriculture production, consumption and lifestyle.

 

12.  This is not your personal affair. This is our collective mission. For this small Planet, we are going to work together for generations and generations to come.

 

13.  Thank you.