Esteemed indigenous peoples’ representatives,
Partners and colleagues,
Ladies and gentlemen,

Looking around, it is a pleasure to see many familiar faces. Some of us met last year in Rio. Others were here, two years ago, at the workshop to establish this Forum.

To each and every one of you, old friends and new, I wish you a very warm welcome to our IFAD headquarters and to this, the very first global meeting of the Indigenous Peoples’ Forum.

I would like to extend particular thanks to those who have travelled far to be with us today. Your presence and your contributions will be invaluable in making this meeting a success.

For IFAD, the Forum has a very specific function. It provides an opportunity to improve how we work with indigenous peoples at every stage– from global partnerships for advocacy, to the formulation of country strategies, to the design of development  projects and to their implementation and evaluation, many thousands of miles from here.

This global meeting is an opportunity for IFAD’s managers and governors to hear directly from indigenous peoples about the issues that affect their lives and about their vision of development. It is also an opportunity for representatives of indigenous peoples to observe the workings of the  Governing Council. The highest governing body of our institution.

Your input will help ensure that development initiatives supported by IFAD meet the distinctive needs of indigenous and tribal peoples and ethnic minorities in developing countries.

While we recognise and respect the many distinct cultures, livelihoods and traditions, we are also aware that there is often common ground between indigenous peoples, particularly when it comes to the connection between societies, territories and natural resources.

Unfortunately, indigenous peoples are often victims of marginalization and discrimination. Too often they lack rights to the land, territories and resources that have nurtured them for generations.

And all too often, this results in poverty. This is why indigenous peoples, who account for 5 per cent of the world’s population, are 15 per cent of those living in poverty. And it is why an agency such as IFAD, whose work is to reduce rural poverty and hunger, must make a special effort to reach out to indigenous peoples so that we can work together, in partnership.

As you know, IFAD supports projects that help poor rural people grow more food, learn new skills, build strong organizations and gain a voice in the decisions that affect their lives.

IFAD aims to reach 90 million people by 2015, helping to move 80 million out of poverty. To do this, we will need to be more effective in reaching and engaging the indigenous peoples who live in the areas where IFAD works.

When I met with some of your leaders at the international conference in Rio last year, I was gratified to learn that many indigenous peoples consider IFAD to be a valued and important partner.

Indigenous peoples are valued partners for IFAD too. Many of you have unique knowledge about the ecosystems that you manage, and the animal and plant species you have domesticated over generations.

You have much to share about how to live, how to work, and how to cultivate in a manner that provides for future generations.

Three years ago, IFAD adopted a policy on engagement with indigenous peoples. This Forum is intended to give us an opportunity to assess how well we are doing, and to improve how we implement our policy.

The case studies that you have already prepared on IFAD-funded projects will help with this work. We particularly value your assessments of which practices are worth scaling-up, and which need to be further improved.

Since IFAD’s policy is centred on principles that lead to concrete and sustained engagement on the ground, let me report to you on some of our recent achievements.

Today, IFAD funds about 240 on-going projects. About 30 per cent of these support indigenous peoples’ communities in some 38 countries, for a total investment of about USD 800 million.

A good example of IFAD’s work in support of indigenous peoples is the PROCORREDOR project in Ecuador. The project has taken an unusual, innovative approach which combines income generation with cultural revitalization. Indigenous peoples, who have a tradition of making handicrafts, are learning new marketing and presentation skills so they can benefit from Ecuador’s growing ecotourism industry.  

The project has been successful largely because the activities were determined by indigenous peoples themselves.  

Looking at IFAD’s work more broadly, there has also been good progress with the Indigenous Peoples’ Assistance Facility. This is a dedicated programme that provides community-based grants for development projects.

Indigenous leaders make up the majority of the facility’s governing board, and indigenous peoples’ organizations co-manage the facility at the regional level. Many are here today, and I look forward to hearing from them about their experiences with the facility.

Since 2007, the facility has approved more than 100 projects. Each is designed and implemented by communities of indigenous peoples according to their perspectives and needs.

For IFAD, indigenous peoples are a significant part of our target group.  Today, I would like to renew IFAD’s commitment to work for equity and economic opportunity for indigenous peoples, and to preserve the right of indigenous peoples to self-driven development.

I am glad to see so many staff members here today. Your participation in this dialogue is essential in helping us improve how we reach out to indigenous peoples so that we can achieve better results on the ground.

The workshops that were held in Africa, Asia and the Pacific, and Latin America and the Caribbean, also provided invaluable opportunities to listen to the needs and priorities of indigenous peoples.

We hope this Forum will not only provide a platform for consultation and discussion, but will produce tangible results in the form of higher participation of indigenous peoples in IFAD’s operations.

And we hope that it will also be useful in developing strategies ahead of next year’s World Conference on Indigenous Peoples at the General Assembly in New York.  I was happy to learn that the regional workshops that were held ahead of today’s Forum had already contributed to your preparations for this conference. We are looking at ways to further support you in this important process.

Now, the hard work really begins! Your participation over the coming days, particularly in the regional working group sessions, should result in a plan of action to guide our partnership over the next two years.   

I am hopeful that this Forum will enhance IFAD’s effectiveness in programmes and projects, as well as contributing to knowledge management and to policy dialogue at country level.  

Ultimately, it should result in greater opportunities for indigenous peoples in all of the rural communities where IFAD works.

Indeed, it is an honour and a privilege for us to convene this Forum at IFAD. Over the years, many of you in this room have proven to be some of IFAD’s most engaged development partners. 

You will have often heard me say that development and change cannot be imposed from the outside.  Every tree, every plant, must be fully rooted in its own soil to flourish.  The traditions and the knowledge present here today are precisely what must be cultivated if we are to achieve real and lasting improvements in the rural areas of the developing world. 

On behalf of everyone at IFAD, I look forward to a fruitful partnership for many years to come.

Thank you.