Indigenous Peoples
With their traditional knowledge and deep connection to their environments, we work with Indigenous Peoples to build a more inclusive, sustainable future.
The Indigenous Peoples Assistance Facility (IPAF) is an innovative funding instrument that indigenous communities can use to find solutions to the challenges they face. The objective of the Facility is to strengthen indigenous peoples’ communities and their organizations. It finances small projects that foster self-driven development.
IPAF supports projects designed and implemented by Indigenous Peoples’ communities and their organizations through small grants. Supported projects build on Indigenous Peoples’ culture, identity, knowledge and natural resources.
The objective is to build a direct partnership with Indigenous Peoples to enable them and their communities to design and implement grass-root development projects based on their own perspectives.
IPAF is one of the instruments to implement the principles of engagement of IFAD Policy on Indigenous Peoples.
At the global level, IPAF is directed both operationally and strategically by a board mostly consisting of indigenous leaders.
At a regional level IPAF is co-managed and coordinated by regional Indigenous Peoples’ organizations as the implementing partners. The IPAF comprises three main components:
Through projects being implemented worldwide IPAF has contributed to improving the livelihoods of Indigenous Peoples' communities in the following areas:
More information about IPAF can be found in the IPAF assessment of 2019: The Indigenous Peoples Assistance Facility (IPAF) Assessment of the performance of the fourth IPAF cycle.
Among other things, the performance assessment provides detailed information on the direct beneficiaries and the activities.