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Tafo Mihaavo is the national network of local communities in Madagascar practicing customary natural resource management. Established in 2012, Tafo Mihaavo has more than 600 members who work in ecosystem safeguarding and restoration across 22 regions. Tafo Mihaavo has developed strategies on community natural resource management to enhance the legal recognition of local community rights. Indigenous peoples and local communities are environmental stewards of many of the world’s biodiversity and cultural hotspots. With the territories and areas conserved by indigenous peoples and local communities accounting for approximately 32 per cent of ecologically intact global land, studies show that global biodiversity goals cannot be met without them.

From 2022 to 2032, the 51�Թ� marks the . Its goal is to draw global attention to the critical situation of many indigenous languages and to mobilize stakeholders and resources for their preservation, revitalization and promotion. , the leading agency for the decade, will offer an online platform to build a global community for indigenous languages, facilitate information-sharing on activities and events, promote relevant resources, report progress made, and create new opportunities for dialogue. Stay tuned!

The social, economic and health impacts of COVID-19 add to the ongoing challenges faced by the Arhuaco indigenous people in the north of Colombia, including severe drought and shortage of water for agricultural production, due to climate change.  ’s support has brought welcome relief to hundreds of indigenous families. Each family was given a toolbox for setting up a garden, with WFP’s technical assistance.

This International Day of Indigenous Peoples (9 August), let’s demand indigenous peoples’ inclusion, participation, and approval in a system with social and economic benefits for all. Leaving no one behind: Indigenous peoples and the call for a new social contract means combating the legacy of exclusion through meaningful and effective participation and the obtainment of free, prior, and informed consent for indigenous peoples. The 2021 commemoration will be an interactive discussion on how to build and redesign this new and possible reality following the Agenda 2030.

The Colombian Amazon faces a high rate of forest loss. Historically, indigenous women in the Amazon have been profoundly connected to the production of food and the cultivation of medicinal plants. However, men are frequently still the decision makers on land use and management. Guardians of the Amazon is an alliance that involves roughly 2,500 indigenous women in southeast Colombia. Its work is an important step towards strengthening and giving visibility to the role of indigenous women as crucial custodians of the forests in the Colombian Amazon.

The annual session of the 51�Թ� Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues takes place on 19-30 April under the title “Peace, justice and strong institutions: the role of indigenous peoples in implementing Sustainable Development Goal 16”. SDG # 16 forms the basis for the attainment of many of the rights enshrined in the 51�Թ� Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, such as access to non-discriminatory and inclusive justice, recognition of indigenous institutions, the principle of free, prior and informed consent and the right to lands, territories and resources.

Indigenous Peoples have suffered disproportionately from the economic impacts of COVID-19, yet they hold essential knowledge for rebuilding a more sustainable and resilient post-pandemic world, free of poverty and hunger, said President, at the . This biennial meeting held virtually this year, focuses on the value of indigenous food system resilience in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Hosted by IFAD, it brings together 154 indigenous leaders from 57 countries, as well as development organizations and governments.

212 environmental defenders were killed in 2019, according to Global Witness. More than two thirds of total killings took place in Latin America, a region where defenders from indigenous communities are at a disproportionate risk of reprisal.

Partnerships with indigenous communities enhance the management of Protected Areas in Malaysia

COVID-19 presents a new threat to over 476 million indigenous peoples living in 90 countries. In the alone, more than 70,000 cases and 2,000 deaths have been reported among indigenous peoples. Since the outbreak, they have been seeking their own solutions and implementing preventive and protective measures. The International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples promotes these good practices throughout the world. The webinar on 10 August, 11am EDT, will present the impact of the pandemic on indigenous peoples and the innovative practices that can be leveraged to build back stronger.

Everyone Equal: Making Inclusive Growth a Priority for Ethnic Minorities

Communities and COVID

Since March 2020, Guatemala has recorded more than 600 COVID-19 deaths and over 11,000 infections. Amidst this crisis, indigenous women have continued to use their voices, knowledge and capacities to assist their communities and adapt their livelihoods. To build back better, their needs and concerns, but also their leadership must be placed at the centre of COVID-19 recovery plans. Boosting indigenous women’s entrepreneurial abilities can be transformative for them and their communities, and by extension, the entire country.

Peru embarks on a comprehensive approach to COVID-19