Pope Francis delivers a powerful message at the Global Forum of Indigenous Peoples at IFAD, currently taking place in Rome on February 10th and 11th on the theme “The right of indigenous peoples to self-determination: a path towards food security and sovereignty.” The Pontiff denounces the “growing land grabs by multinational corporations and States” as “harmful practices that threaten the right to a dignified life of local communities.”
By: Vatican News
Published Date:
Pope Francis’s message to participants at the Global Forum of Indigenous Peoples at IFAD in Rome on February 10th and 11th is a strong call to defend the rights of indigenous populations. The theme “The right of indigenous peoples to self-determination: a path towards food security and sovereignty” for the seventh edition of the event, with Monsignor Fernando Chica Arellano, the permanent observer of the Holy See at FAO, IFAD, and WFP, reading the Pontiff’s message to Myrna Cunningham, President of the Forum’s Steering Committee.
Recognizing the value of indigenous peoples
In the message, the Pope expresses hope that the meeting can be “a significant space for debate, study, and reflection on the priorities, concerns, and just aspirations of indigenous communities.” He then invites to “recognize the value of indigenous peoples” and “the ancestral heritage of knowledge and practices that positively enrich the human family, coloring it with the various characteristics of their traditions.” “All this reveals a horizon of hope in the present time, marked by intense and complex challenges and not a few tensions,” he notes.
The threat of land grabbing
“The defense of the right to preserve their culture and identity necessarily passes through the recognition of the value of their contribution to society and the safeguarding of their existence and the natural resources they need to live,” says the Pope. And he denounces the serious threat posed by the “growing land grabs by multinational corporations, major investors, and States”: “These harmful practices threaten the right to a dignified life of local communities,” writes the Pontiff.
Guarantee of a sustainable future
“Land, water, and food are not mere goods, but the very basis of life and the relationship of these peoples with nature,” he reiterates in the message. “Defending these rights is not only a matter of justice but a guarantee of a sustainable future for all.” “Animated by a sense of belonging to the human family,” the Pope concludes, “we can ensure future generations a world in line with the beauty and goodness that guided God’s hands in creating it.” Hence, the hope that the leaders of nations can take “appropriate measures to ensure that the human family walks together in the pursuit of the common good, so that no one is excluded and no one is left behind.”
