16 JANUARY 2015 – IFAD has issued a call for proposals for grant-funded projects designed to empower indigenous peoples' communities in rural areas. The grants will be provided through IFAD's Indigenous Peoples Assistance Facility (IPAF), established in 2007 to foster development in the framework of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples – and in partnership with indigenous peoples’ organizations at the regional level.

"Projects funded by IPAF support the self-driven development of indigenous peoples’ communities," said Antonella Cordone, IFAD's Senior Technical Specialist on Indigenous Peoples’ and Tribal Issues. "They generate lessons learned and approaches to rural development that can be replicated around the world."

Through small grants ranging from US$20,000 to US$50,000, IPAF finances projects that are designed and implemented by indigenous peoples themselves. These initiatives aim to strengthen indigenous peoples' organizations, building on their culture, identity and traditional knowledge.

Indigenous peoples’ communities and organizations from about 90 countries submitted proposals in response to three previous calls from IPAF in 2007, 2008 and 2011. To date, IPAF has financed more than 100 small projects in some 40 countries with total grants of US$2.6 million. The 2015 funding cycle is expected to finance around 30 projects in Africa, Asia and the Pacific, and Latin America and the Caribbean, with over US$1 million in grants.

Projects approved by IPAF address indigenous peoples' management of land and natural resources, their participation in policy-making, the preservation of their cultural heritage, and the improvement of indigenous women’s livelihoods, among many other issues. Priority areas in this funding cycle include food and nutrition security; access to markets; control over land, territories and resources; and climate change mitigation and adaptation. Proposals are due on 6 March, and finalists will likely be selected by July.

See http://www.ifad.org/story/feature/indigenous.htm