Protecting Forests & Indigenous Rights in Myanmar

It’s a great honour and privilege to share the news that Indigenous Peoples and local communities we are supporting in Nepal are celebrating a hard-fought victory in their struggle for self-determination and to be treated with respect. A landmark report just released finds that the European Investment Bank (EIB) must take urgent steps to uphold communities’ right to Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC), an international legal principle empowering communities to give or withhold consent to projects that impact their lands and resources.  

The project passes through the Annapurna Conservation Area and threatens Indigenous communities’ human rights, including significant impacts on their land use and management patterns, livelihoods, forests, and biodiversity. 
 
The report condemns the bank’s failures to abide by its social and environmental rules and international legal commitments. It follows years of local organizing by the FPIC & Rights Forum, with support and advocacy from Accountability Counsel and the Lawyers’ Association for the Human Rights of Nepalese Indigenous Peoples (LAHURNIP). 

Accountability Counsel, LAHURNIP, and the FPIC & Rights Forum are now working to ensure the report’s findings result in significant action for communities affected by this project.

While there’s still much work to do on this journey, we invite you to join us in celebrating this historic human rights victory!

Links:

• Reuters: Rare win for Nepal indigenous groups
• The Diplomat: EU Energy Project in Nepal Sets Landmark Precedent