By Anirudha Nagar | Communities Director
Indigenous communities in Nepal call on their government and the European Investment Bank (EIB) to seek their Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC) in accordance with a protocol they are releasing detailing the FPIC process. FPIC is an international legal standard protected under the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), empowering Indigenous Peoples to give or withhold consent to projects affecting them and their territories. FPIC is also protected under the EIB’s own social and environmental rules.
Developed through intensive consultations with communities, the FPIC protocol comprehensively outlines the steps that project authorities must take, including sharing all project information in languages Indigenous communities understand, ensuring an environment free of coercion, and fully abiding by whatever decision Indigenous Peoples reach, including the decision to refuse consent or to withhold their decision until a later date. In some project-affected areas, the community comprises a mixed population of both Indigenous and non-Indigenous Peoples living together. Therefore, the protocol also includes steps to achieve “broad community support” through information disclosure and meaningful consultation, as required under the EIB’s standards for non-Indigenous Peoples. Indigenous communities' right to FPIC must be respected in Nepal, Myanmar, and beyond.
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By Anirudha Nagar | Communities Director
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