73 projects approved under the Indigenous Peoples Assistance Facility

IFAD and the World Bank have signed an agreement to transfer the Indigenous Peoples Assistance Facility to IFAD, which administers the Facility since 2007.

The Facility invites applications from indigenous peoples’ organizations and communities, as well as organizations that work with them, for grants to fund projects, innovative approaches and partnerships that promote the development of indigenous peoples and help them fulfil their aspirations.

The Facility provides small grants of US$10,000 to US$30,000 to micro projects designed and implemented by indigenous peoples’ communities and organizations. In response to IFAD first two calls for grant proposals, in 2007 and 2008, indigenous communities and organizations submitted more than 1,900 applications from 86 countries around the world.

The facility is managed by a board composed of mostly indigenous members¹.

In 2007 and 2008, IPAF and related activities² were financed by IFAD, the World Bank, Norway, Canada, Finland and Italy, in the total amount of US$2,120,000 ³

In June 2007, the Facility approved the financing of 30 micro projects in 24 countries for a total of US$603,000.

In 2008, 43 projects were approved in 33 countries worldwide, for a total amount of about US$900,000, representing a 50 per cent increase in resources compared to the previous year.

The projects approved under the IPAF address:

• Management of natural resources
• Participation of indigenous and tribal peoples in policy formulation
• Improvement of indigenous women’s livelihoods
• Improving livelihoods of indigenous peoples through recovery of traditional knowledge
• Preservation, promotion, and protection strategies for language and cultural heritage of indigenous and tribal peoples
• Protection and patenting of intellectual property rights (pharmacological, artistic, etc.)
• Culturally appropriate and economically viable activities (agricultural, fishery, artisan etc.);
• Culturally appropriate ethno-tourism models
• Mapping of indigenous and tribal peoples’ territories and cultures
• Collection of disaggregated data on indigenous and tribal populations
• Country profiles of indigenous and tribal peoples;
• Adaptation and mitigation to climate change
• Awareness on the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

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1/ Vicky Tauli-Corpuz, Igorot from Philippines; Mirna Cunningham, Miskito from Nicaragua; Wolde Gossa Tadesse, Gamo from Ethiopia; Kyrham Nongkynrih, Khasi from India. Jean-Philippe Audinet, Acting Director, Policy Division represents IFAD.

2/ Related activities of the Facility have included two regional workshops, one in Asia and one in Latin
America, and a research study on Custodians of Culture and Biodiversity – Indigenous Peoples Take
Charge of Their Challenges and Opportunities that captured the knowledge and information in the grant proposals as submitted by 1,095 indigenous communities and organizations in 2007.

3/ IFAD (US$823,000); World Bank (US$415,000); Norway (US$625,000); Canada (US$150,000);
Finland (US$77,000); Italy (US$30,000).