On December 2, 2013, the UN Global Compact released “A Business Reference Guide to the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples” as part of the second annual United Nations Forum on Business and Human Rights in Geneva. The Guide aims to help business understand the rights of Indigenous Peoples and recommends practical actions to respect and support these rights.
Since the landmark endorsement by business of the “UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights” in 2011, business has increasingly acknowledged the relevance of respecting and supporting internationally recognized human rights. In order to highlight the steps business is already taking to respect and support indigenous peoples’ rights internationally, a “Practical Supplement to the Guide” was also released with examples of business practices.
Part 1 of the Guide describes actions businesses can take to protect Indigenous Peoples’ Rights. These include “policy commitment, due diligence, consultation and consent-seeking, grievance mechanisms, mitigation, and remediation.” Part 2 describes the rights in the “UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.”
The Guide is careful to note that it cannot provide the necessary actions in each case due to the diversity of Indigenous groups and business’ size and sector. Some of the factors that will influence each case include “particular Indigenous Peoples and their cultures, histories and preferences regarding development; the business and its objectives; the proposed activities and the regulatory environment; and the severity of the business’ potential adverse impact, if any.”
For the Guide and Practical Supplement, as well as Additional Resources, click on the following links:
The Business Reference Guide to the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. (French, Russian and Spanish translations will be available in early 2014)
A Practical Supplement to the Guide, featuring relevant case examples
Source: UN Global Compact
