Independent Dialogue
Geographical focus:
Canada, United States of America
Main findings
Key messages from the expert seminar include: 1. Indigenous Peoples and their knowledge systems are key for all five action tracks of the UNFSS. 2. 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, an
... Read mored biodiversity. 3. Indigenous Peoples’ rights to self-determination need to be respected and actualized worldwide. 4. 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. The Seminar convened 185 participants and speakers from 11 of the 13 Canadian provinces, 30 out of the 50 United States, and was joined by additional people calling in from 25 countries; 140 of the participants and speakers were Indigenous. Participants included North American Indigenous peoples’ organizations and representative bodies, academic and research institutes, government agencies of Canada and the United States, along with UN agencies, and Indigenous experts from around the world. The platform allowed for exchange of knowledge and ideas of how systems of knowledge can be complimentary as the world mobilizes towards food system transformation. Indigenous leaders emphasized the importance of relational connections to food, culture, landscape, ways of life, ecological stewardship, health, and the widespread local Indigenous-led initiatives to revitalize and reconnect to their Indigenous Food Systems. Furthermore they emphasized that Indigenous Peoples' food systems can teach the world of systems approach to effect change socially, economically, ecologically, and politically through the models and adaptive models. Indigenous speakers and participants emphasized the points that protection and actualization of Indigenous Peoples' rights must be the basis for all conversation about food systems, as they are inseparable for Indigenous Peoples. Speakers from the technical committees of the UNFSS Action Tracks, UNFSS leadership, and anchor UN Agencies emphasized their commitment to partner with and learn from Indigenous Peoples in the global work towards the goals and visions of the UN Food Systems Summit. “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. 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. Technical presentations from the action track committee members and UN agency anchors made connections to the importance of working with Indigenous Peoples' leadership, expertise and systems of knowledge to combat the food insecurities and vulnerabilities that many Indigenous Peoples are facing, in addition to the global questions affecting all populations. From Action Track 1 - there was emphasis place on needing to learn from and emulate Indigenous Peoples' inherent approach to "ensure access to safe and nutritious food for all" as a core tenant to their food systems on the global scale. From Action Track 2 - there was acknowledgement that disruption of Indigenous Peoples' food systems has caused for a nutritional crisis and epidemic of malnourishment related diseases for high percentages of Indigenous Peoples, and that returning to traditional foods and diets is a multi-factored and critical solution to reestablish/safeguard sustainable consumption patterns for Indigenous Peoples; further noting the world has much to learn from Indigenous Peoples about "no waste" and using only what we need as central values in Indigenous Peoples' food systems. From Action 3 - it was acknowledged that Indigenous Peoples in their food systems have been the generational masters and experts on "nature-positive" production and food generation, as stewards to 80% of the world's remaining biodiversity on just 25% of the Earth's surface. Indigenous Peoples' natural resource management practices and food system designs have a great deal to show the world on how to create "nature-positive" food generation models and the critical importance of enhancing biodiversity through food generation, and the interconnected, systems approach to natural resource management. From Action 4 - to advance equitable livelihoods, it was agreed that Indigenous Peoples must be leading their own conversations of "advancement" with implementation and practice of international standards like UNDRIP, FPIC, etc. It was agreed that Indigenous Peoples' need to design their "access to market" and education that sustains their ways of life. From Action 5 - As more Indigenous Peoples' food systems are being disrupted by climate change, the COVID-19 pandemic, and increasing external pressures for extraction - it was agreed that Indigenous Peoples need to be at the decision making table in all aspects and crisis management. Read less
Action Track(s): 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
Keywords: Data & Evidence, Environment and Climate, Finance, Governance, Human rights, Innovation, Policy, Trade-offs, Women & Youth Empowerment