Welcome. In this talk, we want to explore with you what we understand by indigenous peoples and local communities. The term indigenous people was first used back in the 17th century by the colonizer when arriving to a new territory in order to refer to the ethnic group who were living there first, in contrast with people who may have been migrating there. Know elements such as their relation with nature, their social, cultural, political, economic structure, are key element for defining indigenous people as this definition of the United Nation. However, there isn't any international universal definition of indigenous people. Because this term may be controversial, may be not adapted, may be too broad or not broad enough, indigenous people have argued against the adoption of any universal definition in order to respect the right to define themselves. In this line, in order to go beyond this terminological limitation, we choose to talk about indigenous peoples and local communities as ethnic group who show specificity such as their deep interaction and high dependence to natural resources, their self determination and holding self-governing structures. Although the word indigenous peoples and local community display a large diversity of livelihood strategy, hunting and gathering, pastoralism, fishing, small-scale farming, but also other, will use different subsistence strategy for their living. In the same line, they show a large diversity of culture, meaning, the way they interact with the world, their cosmology, but also their knowledge and practices. While maintaining a strong cultural identity, indigenous peoples and local community are not isolated from the worlds dynamics. There are neither vestiges of the past nor untouched civilization and they have been, and are in contact with other social and cultural groups. The indigenous people are affected by, for instance, the market economy and the Western culture. They have access to different extents to market tools, to technology, which all are incorporated in different level in their culture and livelihoods. Indigenous people and local communities present a subsistence which is based on their access to natural resources, which allow them to ensure their daily food, their shelter, their medicine, their well-being, are embedded in their culture. Over the world, there is a global estimation about 500 million of people, what may represent about 9 percent of the population of the world. They present the greatest cultural diversity. For instance, they have altogether 5,000 different languages over the 7,000 languages spoken in the world and they are present in all the regions of the world covering, using, managing about 22 percent of the land cover. While they are living in considerable parts of the land, many of them are landless, live in small parcel of land, or don't have land tenure. This lack of recognition is largely embedded in a long history of marginalization and discrimination. Many indigenous peoples and local communities have suffered from the process of colonization, from wars, corruption, land expropriation, land alienation, which have really strong effect on both their culture and livelihoods. Living frequently in really remote area of the world, they have real inadequate access to justice system. Thus, political marginalization, criminalization of their livelihood, and disrespect for the culture, add all to their global vulnerability. However, there are rights of being increasingly recognized, as for instance, in international structure and instrument like the International Labor Organization through the Convention 169 or to the United Nations Declaration of Indigenous Rights. But also the role of indigenous people and local community has been shown for the role they have in natural conservation. Settle for instance, during the Convention of the Biological Diversity in '92, in which scientific experts recognized the importance of the knowledge and practices of indigenous people and local communities for conserving biodiversity. This has led now, to the recognition of the importance to maintaining both at the same time, cultural and biological diversity. Indigenous people and local communities are also increasingly engaged in global forums and debates over the state and the future of the planet. They are engaged in different institutions, as for instance, the indigenous platform of the IPBES, the Intergovernmental Platform of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services, the United Nations Permanent Forum of Indigenous Issue, among other. However, while the right of indigenous people is increasingly recognized, in some country, the implementation of the policy for recognizing and applying the rights is incomplete, controversial, or mired in conflict or power struggles. In the same line, very few indigenous peoples and local community can access to this international institution, what makes that their voice is still hardly heard.
