Indigenous Knowledge Research Infrastructure (IKRI) to Support the Implementation of the UN Food Systems Summit www.ikri.org

This unique and historic initiative developed with the collective efforts of CANEUS, together with FILAC, UNOOSA, ICARDA-CGIAR, and AERAP, aims to launch the “Global Research Initiative and Knowledge Repository to integrate Indigenous Knowledge (IK) into the Food Systems” initiative, which will function as the digital infrastructure, termed as Indigenous Knowledge Research Infrastructure (IKRI).

Action area #5, “Support Means of Implementation” covers Finance; Governance; Science and Knowledge (Indigenous Food Systems); Innovation, Technology, & Data, Capacity; Human Rights, and beyond).

The upcoming UNFSS Summit on September 23rd, 2021, will give rise to five ongoing Action Areas where the UN would place a particular focus and take increased responsibility to best link the local to the global and support implementation at the country level to maximize impact on the 2030 Agenda.

The IKRI would contribute to action area #5, “Support Means of Implementation”, and launched at the Summit.

The IKRI initiative will further complement and contribute to the Global-Hub on Indigenous Peoples’ Food Systems led by the FAO. IT will function as the digital infrastructure, based on the EU European Strategy Forum for Research infrastructures ESFR to support more comprehensive R&D collaboration between the UN and the EU, AU, Asia, Asia Pacific, and the Americas regions, creating partnerships, and sustained access to data and information sources globally and lessening the regulatory burden associated with access to and use of public data while protecting rights of the indigenous people and landscapes.

This global initiative was created during the UN FSS Pre-Summit held on July 26th, 2021 (UN Food Systems Summit 2021), and it builds on the outcome of the UN FSS Independent Global Dialogue “Integration of Frontier Technologies and Indigenous Knowledge for Food Systems Transformation” held on May 31st, 2021. (UN Food Systems Summit, REPORT UN Food Systems Summit Global Dialogue)

Intended Outcome

The Indigenous Knowledge Research Infrastructure (IKRI) has the following objectives:

1. Restoration and preservation of indigenous knowledge
2. Conservation of diet diversity and agro-biodiversity
3. Improved food, nutrition, and health of the people and ecosystems
4. Long-term socio-economic return to the society

The IKRI initiative and repository will contribute to

• Socializing decision-making about the use of IK in food systems
• Trigger Public-Private-Partnership interest and develop viable entrepreneurship
• Protect geographic identities and set up indigenous systems
• Link IK with biodiversity knowledge systems
• Establish producer-to-consumer connection
• Technology transfer for the benefit of indigenous people, as well as the food systems
• Utilization of Genetic Resources