As the climate crisis intensifies and the world seeks sustainable solutions, the UN’s International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), together with its partners the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida), and the Packard Foundation, a private philanthropic organization, have today announced the recipients of the Indigenous Peoples’ Assistance Facility (IPAF) grants. Here the full list of awardees.
These grants provide essential funding to boost Indigenous Peoples’ efforts to sustainably conserve and manage biodiversity, as well as enhance their resilience and capacity to adapt to climate change, especially given that they are among the most severely affected by its consequences.
Awardees have been selected from 42 different countries across Africa, Asia and the Pacific, Latin America and the Caribbean, and represent 53 Indigenous Peoples groups. Activities will take place between 2023 and 2026 with the support of IPAF’s implementing partners working on the ground: Foro Internacional de Mujeres Indígenas (FIMI) Samburu Women Trust (SWT), the Indigenous Peoples’ International Centre for Policy Research and Education, known as Tebtebba.
“Through this support, we recognize and endorse the crucial role that Indigenous Peoples play to preserve biodiversity and adapt to the new climatic reality thanks to their unique knowledge,” said Dr Jyotsna Puri (Jo), Associate Vice-President – Strategy and Knowledge Department at IFAD.
“Today, Sida is proudly standing with IPAF to support Indigenous Peoples’ self-driven development initiatives, and we are eager to learn from the innovative solutions they have shared in response to the sixth call for proposals to face the challenges like climate change and biodiversity loss. Indigenous youth and women are at the forefront of these projects, and we recognize and celebrate their agency,”
said True Schedvin, Head of Unit for Global Sustainable Economic Development, Sida. “We extend an invitation to fellow donors to join this longstanding partnership,” added Schedvin.
“Indigenous Peoples communities used their traditional knowledge to ensure food sovereignty, increase their capacities and overcome climate change with these proposals,” said Margarita Antonio, Ayni-FIMI Fund coordinator.
Under IPAF, a funding instrument specifically designed to support Indigenous Peoples’ communities, awardees will receive between US$50,000 and $70,000 to finance their own projects and solutions to the challenges they face, fostering communities’ self-driven development. In addition to the financial resources, the facility offers technical assistance and capacity development to adopt the solutions designed and implemented by Indigenous Peoples.
This story was developed by IFAD. Read the original version here.