Indigenous Peoples leaders, Ministers and High-level delegates convened today at the headquarters of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) for the Global-Hub on Indigenous Peoples' Food Systems.
Hosted in two Sami Nomadic tents - creating an Indigenous Peoples' territory in the heart of Rome - this year's Global-Hub is the third edition of this annual in-person meeting where Indigenous Peoples scientists and non-indigenous experts, co-create proposals rooted both in ancestral tradition and innovation.
The Global-Hub which began with the participation of the FAO Director-General QU Dongyu, opened the week of the World Food Forum and World Food Day, as FAO celebrates its 80th anniversary.
This year's Global-Hub technical gathering invites us to reflect on the Indigenous Peoples values that make their food and knowledge systems unique: Peace, Reciprocity, Sharing, Caring and Solidarity, with a special emphasis on Peace. Each day of the week is dedicated to one of these five values essential to bringing HOPE to a common future.
"To achieve food security for all the societies, we need to bridge the gap between ancestral knowledge and modern technology and innovation," the Director-General noted, opening the ceremony. "The role of Indigenous Peoples in achieving a world without hunger is being increasingly recognized. More and more Indigenous Peoples are participating in global processes and discussions affecting their lives," he added.
Proceedings began with a spiritual ceremony by Mona Polacca of the Hopi people and Pacha K'anchay of the Yanakuna people, followed by the peace welcoming by Chief Deskaheh from the Haudenosaunee nation.
Also participating were Manoa Seru Kamikamica, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Trade, Cooperatives, Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises and Communications of Fiji, María Fernanda Rivera Dávila, Minister of Agriculture, Livestock and Food of Guatemala, government representatives from Colombia, Ireland, Norway, Republic of Congo, South Africa and Community of Portuguese-Speaking Countries.
Anexa Cunningham, Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (EMRIP) chair delivered statements also highlighting the importance of Indigenous Peoples role in food and knowledge systems.
The presence of Chief Deskaheh- for the first time at FAO - to take part in the inauguration of the FAO Museum and celebrate FAO's 80th Anniversary, is a major testimony of the relevance of the Global-Hub for Indigenous Peoples and the importance of Indigenous Peoples to FAO's work.
The Global-Hub is a strategic think-tank founded in 2018 and endorsed by the Committee on Agriculture in 2020, bringing together 38 organizations and 3 international research networks to host policy discussion on Indigenous Peoples' food and knowledge systems. The Global-Hub released the White/Wiphala paper in 2021, encouraging formal scientists in recognizing Indigenous Peoples' food and knowledge systems as game-changers for sustainability and biodiversity conservation. The Global-Hub pioneers innovative ways of co-creating knowledge with Indigenous and non-Indigenous experts, organising evidence that can be used by countries to tailor policies to Indigenous Peoples' perspectives.
Indigenous People's food and knowledge systems, hold unique, transformative solutions that can help address global challenges.
The Global-Hub is advising the Rome Group of Friends- the largest group of friends in the UN system on Indigenous Peoples - on policy process, such as the upcoming World Committee of Food Security (CFS).
Special events and highlights
In the lead-up to the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists in 2026, the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), together with the Global-Hub, will host a special event on 15 October presenting the Global Programme on Indigenous Peoples' biocentric restoration in critical biomes and lands degraded by intensive agriculture and livestock. During the event, one of the five collective technical papers by the Global-Hub will be presented on mobility within Indigenous Peoples' food systems, livelihoods, and territoriality, and its significance for biodiversity.
Joint events with the FAO Hand-in-Hand Investment Forum, focusing on the Amazon Basin and Pacific Islands, and the Science and Innovation Forum, which centres Indigenous Peoples' voices, will provide a space for reflection on how the Global-Hub can contribute to policy discussions as a provider of evidence.
On 16 October, World Food Day, the inauguration of the FAO Food and Agriculture Museum and Network (MuNe) will take place with a presentation later on the 17 October of the Indigenous Peoples' Room, the "HOPE Room", within the museum. This dedicated space will showcase the significance of Indigenous Peoples' cosmogony, oral transmission and inspiration to the world. It will be a space where Indigenous Peoples can share their stories in their own voices. The Room highlights how, for thousands of years Indigenous Peoples' food and knowledge systems, grounded in culture, spirituality, and reciprocity with nature, have been and continue to be a profound source of wisdom.
Reflections and Traditions
The Global-Hub technical discussions from the 13-17 October and the launching of key reports on Indigenous Peoples food systems will be accompanied by a series of events including culinary Indigenous Peoples food tasting, musical performances, and spiritual expressions.
In addition, "Tent Talks" with expert-led discussions will focus on themes essential to understanding Indigenous Peoples' perspectives and issues through storytelling, while a series of "Fire Talks" will invite Ambassadors, Indigenous Peoples, and Academics to reflect around a burning hearth on Indigenous Peoples values for peace.
