UNGA 73: Rights of Indigenous Peoples

73rd Session of the United Nations General Assembly
Third Committee
Agenda item 71. Rights of Indigenous Peoples

 

 

Chair, thank you for giving me the floor.

FAO would like to join the voices that stress the importance of recognizing
indigenous peoples rights and highlight their critical contribution to sustainable
development to achieve the 2030 Agenda.

Indigenous peoples are caretakers of natural ecosystems and possess traditional
knowledge that are relevant to build the sustainable and resilient food systems that
we need today. FAO considers indigenous peoples fundamental allies in the fight
against hunger and malnutrition, in the context of climate change and complex,
interconnected challenges.

To better understand and explore the contributions that indigenous food systems
can make sustainable development, and identify ways to scale up these experiences,
FAO and the Fund for the Development of Indigenous Peoples of Latin America and
the Caribbean are organizing from 7-9 November in Rome the High-Level Expert
Seminar on Indigenous Food Systems.

Ladies and gentlemen,

While indigenous peoples must be central actors in the pursuit of the 2030 Agenda,
throughout the world, indigenous peoples, especially women and youth, face
barriers that often prevent them from living their lives in dignity. This includes the
lack of secure access to land, water and other natural resources. When they are
denied these rights, they not only lose valuable assets but also forced to distance
themselves from elements that are inherent to their culture and identity. In this
regard, I would like to stress the importance of ensuring Free, Prior and Informed
Consent.

I would also like to recall the value of the Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible
Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests in the Context of National Food
Security in recognizing the customary tenure systems of indigenous peoples and
pastoralists.

Ladies and gentlemen,

FAO has been supporting the implementation of the Outcome document of the
World Conference of Indigenous Peoples by providing technical assistance to draft
National Indigenous People Plans in El Salvador, Paraguay, Panama and Costa Rica.
Since 2017, FAO has made youth a central part of its work with indigenous peoples.
In this context, we hosted the Global Indigenous Youth Caucus that drafted the
Rome declaration on Indigenous Youth and Food security.

In January 2018, the FAO Director General launched the “Global Campaign for the
Empowerment of Indigenous Women for Zero Hunger”. More than 95 indigenous,
academic, professional and non-governmental organizations have joined this
campaign.

The “violet chair initiative” remind us of indigenous women that should have been
invited to key discussions but whose rights of participation were not respected. We
thank the Chairperson of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, Mariam
Wallet for contributing to the success of the violet chair.

To conclude, the 2030 Agenda cannot be achieved without respecting the rights of
indigenous peoples as key actors to achieve sustainable development.

Thank you for your attention.