Indigenous Experts from North America Call for a Formal Place in the 2021 UN Food Systems Summit
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North American Indigenous Peoples and the UN Food Systems Summit Leadership exchange expertise and visions during High-Level Expert Seminar.
22 December 2020 – “The Food Systems Summit is going to do everything we can to ensure the voices of Indigenous peoples are heard, that we are learning from you and that we are putting the Indigenous peoples’ food systems front and center in the work that we are doing,” said Dr. Agnes Kalibata, Special Envoy for the 2021 UN Food Systems Summit, in her opening remarks at the High-Level Seminar held virtually on 15 December 2020. Dr. Kalibata’s remarks emphasized the Summit’s strong commitment to learning from, listening to and connecting with Indigenous peoples leading up to and during the Summit.
The High-Level Expert Seminar on North American Indigenous Peoples’ Food Systems, towards the 2021 UN Food Systems Summit (UNFSS) provided a platform for experts to present and discuss the critical importance and contributions of North American Indigenous peoples’ food systems in relation to the primary objectives of the 2021 Food Systems Summit. The Seminar was co-hosted by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Liaison Office for North America, the FAO Indigenous Peoples Unit, and the Chair of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII).
"Our endeavor is to host a platform for Indigenous peoples of North America, UN agency experts and leaders in the field to exchange ideas and expertise, to strengthen Indigenous peoples' voice and leadership as we approach the 2021 UN Food Systems Summit," said Vimlendra Sharan, Director of FAO North America, as he welcomed the “galaxy of distinguished” guests and speakers.
The event was opened with high-level remarks from the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, UN Food Systems Summit Leadership and national Government dignitaries from Canada and the United States, co-facilitated by Geoffrey Roth and Dan Gustafson, Special Advisor to the FAO Director-General. Special Envoy Dr. Agnes Kalibata, Chair of the Scientific Group, Professor Dr. Von Braun, and Food Systems Summit Dialogue Curator, Dr. David Nabarro collectively expressed their strong support and appreciation for the Seminar. Government dignitaries, Ambassador Alexandra Bugailiskis, Representative Deb Haaland, and USDA Office of Tribal Relations, Director Diane Cullo also underlined the importance of the deliberation.
Following the high-level remarks, a panel of seven Indigenous experts set the stage moving into the technical presentations of the Seminar exemplifying how systems of knowledge come together and complement each other., “Indigenous knowledge is not about the past. Indigenous knowledge is about the future. Our knowledge systems must inform the future of food in the world, knowing it is still operable,” stated Dr. Kamanamaikailani Beamer, Professor at the Center for Hawaiian Studies in the Hui ‘Āina Momona Program at the University of Hawai‘i.
“The true way to food freedom is through empowerment. Solutions without Indigenous voices are no solutions at all,” stated Marlene Wakefield, member of the Seneca Nation and Research and Resources Director for the Tribal Food Sovereignty Advancement Initiative at the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI).
Panelists spoke to the central importance of Indigenous peoples’ rights and essential practices for building the capacity of Indigenous-led research across fields and bridging systems of knowledge in complementary ways. Further recognizing the accelerating impacts of climate change and environmental degradation of homeland ecosystems pose existential threats for all inhabitants and thus require a cooperative commitment to bold action steps.
As emphasized by Dr. Dalee Sambo Dorough, International Chair of the Inuit Circumpolar Council, “Our health is intimately tied to the health of the animals and the overall Arctic environment. However, we are seeing rapid and dramatic changes that threaten our food security.”
This panel was co-facilitated by Jane Lokomaika’ikeakua Au, Program Director of ‘Āina Momona and Pacific Representative and vice Co-Chair of the Local Communities and Indigenous Peoples’ Platform (LCIPP) Facilitative Working Group, and Yon Fernández de Larrinoa, Chief of the FAO Indigenous Peoples Unit.
From the First Nations fisheries of the Atlantic coastal waters to the confluence of rivers in British Columbia, to the Inuit homelands of the circumpolar region to the Islands of Hawai’i and reaching to international Indigenous researchers in New Zealand and Jakarta, speakers gave a strong voice to the vast knowledge systems and Indigenous leaders who are essential in the transformational work for the future of sustainable, equitable, nutritious, diverse and resilient food systems.
As emphasized by Chief of the FAO’s Indigenous Peoples Unit, Yon Fernández de Larrinoa, “In the context of the UN Food Systems Summit and in the spirit of leaving no one behind, it is critical we engage with, listen to, respect the expertise and collaborate with the Indigenous peoples of North America. Their regional leadership is fundamental in achieving the objectives of the Summit and Sustainable Development Goals.”
Indigenizing Actions Tracks of the UN Food Systems Summit
Marlene Wakefield and Ken Paul, Lead Negotiator and Research Director of Fisheries for the Wolastoqey Nation, led guests and speakers through a series of technical presentations on each of the five action tracks of the UN Food Systems Summit with an Indigenous lens towards each track. The action track segments included a speaker from the leadership of the UNFSS Action Track technical committees, an Indigenous expert on the subject, followed by an expert from the UN anchoring agency for that action track.
Leadership from the Action Track technical committees spoke from Concern Worldwide, EAT Forum, World Wildlife Fund International, and CARE USA. Indigenous experts from McGill University, University of Hawai’i Mānoa, Mi’kmaq Fisheries, the Intertribal Agriculture Council and the Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. presented their expertise and perspectives on one of each of the five action tracks. UN agency experts from FAO, the World Health Organization, the UN Convention to Combat Desertification and the World Food Programme, spoke to the action track their agency is anchoring. The five UNFSS action tracks with Indigenous lens included:
1. Ensuring access to safe and nutritious food for all: Traditional Economies of Indigenous Peoples – The Interrelated Dimensions of Healthy Food.
3. Boosting nature-positive production at scale: Sacred Relationship to Environment and the Critical Role of Lands, Territories, and Resources of Indigenous Peoples.
4. Advancing equitable livelihoods: Recognition of Indigenous Human Rights to Maintain Equitable and Culturally Relevant Food Systems.
5. Building resilience to vulnerabilities, shocks and stresses: Empowerment of Indigenous Peoples, Nations, and Communities to Ensure Adaptation and Resilience.
The highly informative technical presentations generated an abundance of content and questions to delve deeper into during the five breakout groups facilitated by members of the Seminar’s Indigenous technical committee. Professor Airini, Dean, Faculty of Education and Social Work, Thompson Rivers University, BC, and Brian Keane, Board Chair, Land is Life, opened the afternoon session by explaining the process and importance of the break-out groups. They then received extensive feedback and inputs shared by facilitators, notetakers, and participants in the subsequent plenary discussion.
Towards the UN Food Systems Summit
Martin Frick, Deputy to the Special Envoy for the 2021 UN Food Systems Summit, provided in the closing session an explanation of the real significance of the Summit beyond the event itself and he issued a strong invitation for Indigenous peoples to engage in all the processes and events. He stated that “The 2021 UN Food Systems Summit is not just a point in time, it is a year-long engagement process. We have indigenous champions and focal points, and Indigenous peoples can also organize independent dialogues to make sure their voices are heard.”
Marcela Villarreal, Director, Partnerships & UN Collaboration, FAO reiterated in her closing remarks, “The important part is that we work together to ensure that the voices of indigenous peoples are effectively heard, which means taken into account. Not only heard, not only participation in dialogues but really taken into account in what we expect is a discussion on the future of food systems for the world.”
Geoffrey Roth in reading out a draft version of the final statement stated that “As we prepare for the 2021 UN Food Systems Summit, we share our distinct perspectives, knowledge, research recommendations in relation to the action tracks and objectives of the Summit. We do so with humility and, also, with an expectation to be heard.”
Key messages from the expert seminar include:
- Indigenous peoples and their knowledge systems are key for all five action tracks of the UNFSS.
- Indigenous peoples’ representatives should have a formal role in the UNFSS, and governments should ensure their participation in national dialogues / Indigenous peoples, including women and youth, should have equal opportunities to participate in local, national, and international processes and policy discussions, such as Food System Dialogues, the UN Food Systems Summit 2021 and other decision processes affecting food systems, climate change, and biodiversity
- Indigenous peoples’ rights to self-determination need to be respected and actualized worldwide
- Indigenous peoples, Summit stakeholders, and UN Food Systems Summit leadership have tremendous opportunities to continue intense collaborations through bridging systems of knowledge in preparatory dialogues, evidence-based strategic papers, and formal roles for Indigenous peoples at the 2021 Summit.
Useful Resources
Statement on North American Indigenous Peoples Food Systems 24 December 2020
Recording:
Introductions with North American Indigenous Peoples and their Food Systems
Special Issue of FAO North America Newsletter for Indigenous Peoples Day