Solutions from the Front Lines: Indigenous Peoples of North America lead UN Food System Summit Dialogues with game-changing solutions
Since December 2020, Indigenous Peoples across North America have been convening dialogues with Indigenous youth, elders, chefs, producers, fishers, hunters, harvesters, professors, researchers, organizers, Tribal Nation representatives and government agencies to discuss and inform game-changing solutions towards the 2021 UN Food Systems Summit (UNFSS). With support of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII), the UNFSS Secretariat and Indigenous champions, FAO, IFAD and IWGIA, Indigenous leaders have convened six dialogues for the North American region, including more than 400 participants spanning from the circumpolar to Hawai’i.
April Dialogue Series for Turtle Island
“This is an opportunity for us to participate in the process, make our voices heard, and influence the proposed actions coming out of the Summit,” emphasized Denisa Livingston (Navajo), Indigenous Food Systems Summit Champion, who co-convened the Turtle Island Dialogue Series in April with Indigenous leaders from the region.
1 April 2021 - Dr. Rod McCormick (Mohawk), Indigenous health researcher and director of All My Relations Research Centre at Thompson Rivers University in British Columbia, facilitated the first dialogue focused on recognizing grief, trauma, and care of Indigenous Peoples across North America both historical and present. The impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, environmental destruction, climate change, food system destruction and nutritional trauma over generations have affected Indigenous Peoples’ health, well-being and cultures. Outcomes from the discussion placed a strong emphasis on the importance of Indigenous spaces for youth, men, women, and elders to process grief and heal with ceremonies, teachings, stories, and safe connection to lands, waters, and traditional foods.
8 April 2021- Ken Paul, lead fisheries researcher and negotiator of the Wolastoquey First Nation, with Elder Lorraine Netro of the Gwitchin Nation and Kerry Prosper, fisherman of the Paqtnkek First Nation, led the second dialogue on the importance and growing challenges affecting traditional harvesting, including hunting, herding, fishing and foraging. Key messages from the discussion placed strong emphasis on the devastating realities of climate change that Indigenous Peoples’ communities are facing, and how critical Indigenous Peoples’ land and water tenure rights are for their long-term ecological stewardship and continuation of Indigenous foodways for future generations.
15 April 2021 - Jane Lokomaika’ikeakua Au, (Kanaka Maoli, Native Hawaiian), Program Director of `Āina Momona, led the third and final dialogue in the series on transforming isolation and its many forms severely affecting Indigenous Peoples’ communities and food systems. “We have become dependent on unsustainable systems”, Au emphasized in opening and echoed by participants on the call. The antidotes proposed through the discussion focused on redistributing decision-making, designing power, and resources back to local communities to revitalize food systems that were once abundant and are needed once again to restore lands, waters, biodiversity, community health and resilience.
Second Listening Session: Recommendations from North American Indigenous Peoples towards the UNFSS
28 May 2021 - Geoffrey Roth (Standing Rock Sioux) North American Expert Member of the UNPFII, called together the Second Listening Session as a follow up to the December 2020, “High-Level Expert Seminar on North American Indigenous Peoples’ Food Systems, towards the 2021 UN Food Systems Summit”. Indigenous representatives from North America who had attended the December seminar reconvened to consolidate actionable recommendations for the Canadian, and United States country delegations and the UN Food Systems Summit Secretariat for the Pre-Summit and Summit. The recommendations generated were organized by the UNFSS five action tracks and emphasized the importance of Indigenous leadership and expertise be present in all mechanisms and forthcoming proposals from the UN Food Systems Summit.
First Arctic Indigenous Peoples’ Dialogue on Food Systems
3 – 4 June 2021 - The Inuit Circumpolar Council, Saami Council, FAO Indigenous Peoples Unit, and UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues co-convened the first regional dialogue with Indigenous Peoples of the Arctic in preparation for the UN Food Systems Pre-Summit and Summit. The first dialogue identified distinct contributions, key messages, and game-changing solutions unique to their Arctic Indigenous Peoples’ food systems, security and sovereignty. The Inuit Circumpolar Council (ICC) and Saami Council held a second dialogue on 24 and 25 June to further hone their recommendations related to Arctic Indigenous Peoples’ mental health, environmental health, and financial security. Their third dialogue will be a meeting of the ICC, Saami Council, and Arctic regional Member States: Canada, the United States of America, Finland, Sweden, Denmark, and Norway to coordinate their efforts and align their proposals towards the Pre-Summit and Summit.
Towards the United Nations Food Systems Pre-Summit and Summit
As the UN Food System Summit Secretariat and the Action Track technical committees pair down over 1,200 proposed game-changing solutions collected from dialogues across the world, Indigenous Peoples from North America and globally are watching to ensure their input and expertise is reflected in the forthcoming solution clusters and action coalitions to be discussed in the Pre-Summit (26 – 28 July, Rome) and at the Summit (September, New York).
Indigenous Peoples’ leadership, central participation, and rights as detailed in international laws including the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and Free Prior and Informed Consent, with special emphasis on their rights to land tenure rights and self-determination are fundamental prerequisites for food system transformation proposals. Indigenous Peoples hold answers and innovations for more equitable, healthier and sustainable food systems. A key game-changing solution will be for the world to listen and work alongside Indigenous Peoples.
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