Strengthening indigenous peoples’ communities and their organizations

The Indigenous Peoples Assistance Facility (IPAF) is an innovative funding instrument that indigenous communities can use to find solutions to the challenges they face. The objective of the Facility is to strengthen indigenous peoples’ communities and their organizations. It finances small projects that foster self-driven development.

IPAF supports projects designed and implemented by indigenous peoples’ communities and their organizations through small grants. Supported projects build on indigenous peoples’ culture, identity, knowledge and natural resources. The objective is to build a direct partnership with indigenous peoples to enable them and their communities to design and implement grass-root development projects based on their own perspectives. IPAF is one of the instruments to implement the principles of engagement of IFAD Policy on indigenous peoples.

At the global level, IPAF is directed both operationally and strategically by a board mostly consisting of indigenous leaders. At a regional level IPAF is co-managed and coordinated by regional indigenous peoples’ organizations as the implementing partners. The IPAF comprises three main components:

1. Empowering indigenous peoples' grassroots organizations
2. Strengthening indigenous peoples' networks and linking them with the global indigenous movement
3. Knowledge Management

Through projects being implemented worldwide IPAF has contributed to improving the livelihoods of indigenous peoples' communities in the following areas:

• Improve sustainable agricultural practises, develop new off-farm enterprises and enhanced market access
• Develop capacity on indigenous peoples' rights, revitalize cultural heritage and traditional knowledge
• Map indigenous territories and cultures
• Empower indigenous women
• Boost disaster and climate change risk management based on traditional knowledge  and practices
• Preserve and promote local varieties of traditional crops.

More information about IPAF can be found in the IPAF assessment of 2019: The Indigenous Peoples Assistance Facility (IPAF) Assessment of the performance of the fourth IPAF cycle. Among other things, the performance assessment provides detailed information on the direct beneficiaries and the activities.

IPAF projects

• Summary of IPAF projects approved in Africa
• Summary of IPAF projects approved in Asia and the Pacific 
• Summary of IPAF projects approved in Latin America and the Caribbean