The Indigenous World 2026: International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and Indigenous Peoples

Written on 22 April 2026. Posted in Indigenous Peoples at the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)

The Indigenous Peoples’ Forum at the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) (IPFI) was established in 2011 as a permanent process of consultation and dialogue between representatives of Indigenous Peoples’ institutions and organizations, IFAD and governments. The Global Meeting of the Forum convenes every second February in conjunction with IFAD’s Governing Council, the Fund’s main decision-making body. A series of regional consultations lead up to each Global Meeting, ensuring that the Forum reflects the diversity of perspectives and recommendations gathered from Indigenous Peoples around the world. The overall process is guided by a steering committee (SC) composed of representatives of Indigenous Peoples’ organizations from the different regions, representatives of Indigenous youth, the Indigenous Peoples Assistance Facility (IPAF) Board, the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII) and IFAD. A unique process within the UN system, the Forum aims to improve IFAD’s accountability, enhancing its development effectiveness for Indigenous Peoples. The Global Forum process helps IFAD implement its Policy on Engagement with Indigenous Peoples and translate the policy’s principles into action on the ground.

In April 2025, IFAD participated in the 24^th session of the UNPFII, including as a panellist in the Dialogue on Indigenous platforms established within UN entities, alongside Indigenous representatives, Member States and UN agencies, presenting its main mechanisms for engagement with Indigenous Peoples and highlighting the IPFI as a best practice for institutionalized participation of Indigenous Peoples within a UN organization.

2025 marks the first year of the IFAD 13^th replenishment period (2025-2027), during which IFAD has committed to a set of monitorable actions relevant to its engagement with Indigenous Peoples, such as (i) Ensuring that at least 10 new projects include Indigenous Peoples as a priority target group; (ii) Replenishing the Indigenous Peoples’ Assistance Facility (IPAF); and (iii) Continuing support to the Indigenous Peoples’ Forum at IFAD (IPFI). IFAD’s updated Policy on Engagement with Indigenous Peoples guides IFAD’s overall work for engagement for the decade 2022-2032.^[1]

This article is part of the 40^th edition of The Indigenous World, a yearly overview produced by IWGIA that serves to document and report on the developments Indigenous Peoples have experienced. Find The Indigenous World 2026 in full here

Theme of the 7^th Global Meeting of the Indigenous Peoples’ Forum at IFAD

Under the theme “Indigenous Peoples’ right to self-determination: A pathway for food security and sovereignty”, the Seventh Global Meeting of the Indigenous Peoples’ Forum at IFAD (IPFI) was held in Rome from 10-11 February 2025.

In preparation for the Global Meeting, regional and sub-regional consultation meetings took place between August and November 2024, gathering insights on the theme to inform the Global Meeting with different perspectives from the regions.

The theme focuses on the importance of self-determination with respect to food security and sovereignty. Self-determination enables Indigenous Peoples to strengthen food systems by preserving their food practices, biocultural values, and holistic development approaches. Deeply connected to their lands, territories and resources, Indigenous Peoples rely on sustainable practices tied to specific ecosystems, preserving biodiversity while ensuring food security. Secure land tenure and autonomy over resource management are vital for them to maintain their identity and ensure a stable, diversified food supply in harmony with nature. The Indigenous Peoples’ right to self-determination is closely tied to the preservation, promotion and transmission of their traditional knowledge. This knowledge, accumulated over centuries, guides sustainable agriculture and food production, promoting biodiversity, healthy ecosystems, and resilience to climate change. Indigenous culinary and storage techniques enhance the quality and nutritional value of food, supporting balanced diets essential for optimal health. The role of Indigenous women in preserving this knowledge and of Indigenous youth in bridging tradition with modern practices is critical in this endeavour.

Self-determination also enables Indigenous Peoples to pursue economic development aligned with their cultural values and ecological practices. Their economies, rooted in small-scale farming, hunting, fishing and crafts, reflect principles of solidarity, reciprocity, and balance with nature. Indigenous governance systems, grounded in traditional laws and customs, provide the framework for exercising self-determination, allowing collective decision-making on land use, resource management, and food production in culturally appropriate and sustainable ways. Such governance is essential for them to maintain resilient food systems and adapt to environmental and economic challenges. Indigenous Peoples face persistent challenges to self-determination, including land dispossession, discrimination, socioeconomic disparities, and the erosion of traditional knowledge and identity. Climate change further threatens their livelihoods and cultures. Efforts to assert their rights often result in violence and displacement. These barriers undermine food security, sovereignty and the ability to address global challenges such as poverty and environmental sustainability. IFAD supports Indigenous Peoples’ self-determined development in line with the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) and the 2030 Agenda by prioritizing their culture, knowledge and identity. Over the years, the governance and implementation of the IPAF have set an example of best practice in self-driven development. The IFAD’s Policy on Engagement with Indigenous Peoples emphasizes working as equal partners, ensuring their meaningful participation in IFAD’s operations, and applying Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC).

The Seventh Global Meeting of the Forum^[2]

IPFI is IFAD’s main instrument for policy dialogue and oversight. Following regional and sub-regional consultation meetings involving over 450 participants, IFAD hosted the Seventh IPFI Global Meeting in Rome in February 2025. It brought together 37 Indigenous delegates from 25 countries and around 150 IFAD staff and observers. During the Forum, delegates formulated a Synthesis of Deliberations and developed biennial regional action plans together with IFAD regional and country teams to monitor the implementation of the Policy in operation.

During the annual IFAD Governing Council (GC) session, a dedicated Governors’ Dialogue allowed Member States to engage directly with Indigenous leaders on the Forum’s outcomes and discuss actionable solutions for sustainable and inclusive development. Additionally, delegates participated in the “Leaders’ Dialogue: Investing in Nutrition”, integrating Indigenous Peoples’ perspectives into global discussions on nutrition financing and food security.

While the specific focus of the Forum was on food security, in strict connection with the IFAD mandate, reference was made in the different sessions to issues related to the broader concept of security. Aspects related to the barriers undermining food security, sovereignty and the ability to address global challenges such as poverty, environmental sustainability and climate change were extensively discussed, including the fact that Indigenous Peoples’ efforts to assert their rights related to climate justice often result in violence, persecution and other human rights abuse.

Other significant threats to Indigenous food sovereignty include deforestation, pollution, the expansion of commercial agribusiness, land-grabbing and the exploitation of Indigenous Peoples’ resources and ecosystems, along with the criminalization of Indigenous environmental defenders.

The Forum discussions underscored the fact that Indigenous governance institutions, rooted in customary laws and collective decision-making over lands, territories and resources, are essential for exercising the right to self-determination. IFAD’s support to these governance systems, together with capacity-building and participatory planning, helps reinforce accountable local institutions and contributes to reduced inequalities.

Around 43% of IFAD's current portfolio supports initiatives that target rural Indigenous Peoples' communities (a total of 91 projects in 45 countries). Over the course of 2025, IFAD's Executive Board approved 14 new projects (loans and country grants) including Indigenous Peoples as part of the projects’ target groups in 13 countries in Asia and the Pacific (APR), East and Southern Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), and West and Central Africa, representing around 74% of all projects approved during 2025.

Synthesis of Deliberations^[3]

Based on the discussions and contributions from the debates, the Synthesis of Deliberations of the 2025

Global Meeting of the IFPI was adopted. It concluded with 15 recommendations addressed to IFAD, governments and to Indigenous Peoples themselves as commitments.

In relation to Indigenous Peoples, Peace and Security the following important recommendations were made:

• To IFAD: Ensure the full and effective participation of Indigenous Peoples in the design, implementation, and monitoring and evaluation of IFAD strategies and programmes to support the self-determination of Indigenous Peoples. Enhance country and regional platforms for dialogue to enable continuous and constructive dialogue among Indigenous Peoples’ representatives, governments and development partners. Raise awareness and build the capacity of IFAD staff in the field and at headquarters on Indigenous Peoples’ rights and issues and the IFAD Policy on Engagement with Indigenous Peoples, including FPIC. Strengthen the engagement of IFAD country teams in the regional action plans through more regular meetings with regional and country Indigenous Peoples’ representatives. Support country-level policy dialogue and ensure an enabling environment for the effective participation of Indigenous Peoples by providing necessary logistical support, such as interpretation and translation of documents into Indigenous/national languages.

• To IFAD: Strengthen feedback mechanisms and participatory monitoring associated with the implementation of FPIC and the Social, Environmental and Climate Assessment Procedures. This includes enhancing monitoring mechanisms to verify compliance and to evaluate the social, gender, environmental and economic impacts of IFAD-funded projects in which Indigenous Peoples must be effectively and actively involved to ensure accountability and continuous improvement.

• To governments: Implement their commitment to recognize, respect and protect the rights of Indigenous Peoples, as affirmed by the UNDRIP and other international human rights instruments, in laws and practices. Build the capacity of relevant government staff to implement FPIC.

• To governments: Recognize and protect Indigenous Peoples’ and traditional knowledge and practices, sciences and technologies, and ensure the protection of knowledge holders as critical elements of the food sovereignty and security of Indigenous Peoples in laws, policy frameworks and practices.

• To governments: Recognize that peace is critical to Indigenous Peoples’ food sovereignty and security. Therefore, prevent and end violence and armed conflicts affecting Indigenous Peoples and ensure the protection of Indigenous Peoples’ environmental and human rights defenders from criminalization and prosecution.

As a result of these recommendations, and of the reporting of a security incident by a member of the Steering Committee (SC) during the regular IFAD – SC meeting in November 2025, it was agreed to include a discussion about violent incidents affecting Indigenous Peoples across the regions on future meetings’ agendas, and also to assess the possibility of collective responses from the SC and IFAD.

Ilaria Firmian is Senior Technical Specialist on Indigenous Peoples at the International Fund for Agricultural Development (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)

This article is part of the 40^th edition of The Indigenous World, a yearly overview produced by IWGIA that serves to document and report on the developments Indigenous Peoples have experienced. Find The Indigenous World 2026 in full here

Notes and references

^[1] IFAD. “IFAD Policy on Engagement with Indigenous Peoples: 2022 update.” 17 November 2022. https://www.ifad.org/en/w/corporate-documents/policies/ifad-policy-on-engagement-with-indigenous-peoples

^[2] IFAD. “Seventh Global Meeting of the Indigenous Peoples' Forum at IFAD Final Report – Indigenous Peoples’ right to self-determination: A pathway for food security and sovereignty.” February 2025. https://www.ifad.org/documents/48415603/50504177/ipf2025-final-report_e.pdf/59418fae-15ca-4cff-a434-5d54e3318761?t=1753348607552

^[3] IFAD. “Synthesis of Deliberations of the Seventh Global Meeting of the Indigenous Peoples' Forum at IFAD.” February 2025. https://www.ifad.org/documents/48415603/50504177/ipf2025-synthesis-deliberations_e.pdf/d38bc486-df42-5708-c4eb-9c5434407751?t=1739781460606

Tags: Global governance