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The right to Free, Prior and Informed Consent means that governments have to inform indigenous communities about any development projects they want to start in their territories, and listen to their opinions before beginning the project.

The right to Free, Prior and Informed Consent belongs to all Indigenous Peoples.

Indigenous communities should not let governments continue to destroy their territories and violate their right to Free, Prior and Informed Consent.

It is important that indigenous communities elect leaders who will fight for the interests of their people and not the interests of the government.

Article 10 of the UN Declaration on the rights of Indigenous Peoples states that no one can forcibly displace indigenous communities from their territories.

States must obtain Free, Prior and Informed Consent from Indigenous Peoples before taking legislative or administrative measures which will affect them.

Governments cannot store dangerous materials on Indigenous Peoples’ lands without their Free, Prior and Informed Consent.

States should obtain Free, Prior and Informed Consent before approving any development project that will affect the lands and resources of Indigenous Peoples.

The UN Declaration on the rights of Indigenous Peoples along with other international instruments, recognises the right to Free, Prior and Informed Consent as a right of Indigenous Peoples.

For Indigenous Peoples, the right to Free, Prior and Informed Consent is a fundamental, inherent and inalienable right.

Governments are obligated to comply with the right to Free, Prior and Informed Consent that belongs to all Indigenous Peoples.

The negotiation process between the government and Indigenous Peoples should be free of threats, bribes or any manipulation by the government of the decisions of Indigenous Peoples.

It is important that indigenous communities obtain sufficient information prior to the start of a project in order to have an accurate discussion about the potential changes.

It is important to have all the information about the potential impacts of development projects on the environment, the community and the people. The information should be available in a way in which everyone can understand, and in the native language of the people it will affect.

The right to Free, Prior and Informed Consent is stated in national and international laws, and can be applied in defence of lands and territories when there is a project that will cause irreparable damage.

It is important to demand that this law is complied with because it protects the environment, guarantees clean water and air, and it is a mechanism of controlling development projects to ensure that truly benefit indigenous communities.

The right to Free, Prior and Informed Consent clearly states that the government should not force people to change their method of organisation, thinking, or decision making, nor spread inaccurate information to misinform Indigenous Peoples.

In order to ensure that the right to Free, Prior and Informed Consent is complied with, there should be community meetings which make people aware of what is happening and could happen in their area. In addition to this, projects must be supervised in order to ensure that decisions made in the community meetings, are implemented during the development project.

For the right to Free, Prior and Informed Consent to be correctly applied, it is important to know that this right is applicable to all Indigenous Peoples. It must be adhered to with respect for indigenous communities’ own methods of communication and each person’s opinion must be heard. Furthermore, it means that there should be meetings with representatives of the government, companies, and Indigenous Peoples in order to arrive at an agreement that benefits the community.

In order for this right to be applied fairly, it should respect the following: 1. From the start of a project, there should be a consultation with the Indigenous People of the area; 2. There should be sufficient time devoted to ensuring that the community receive all of the information about the projects and its impacts; 3. Information should be distributed in accordance with the traditional ways of each community; 4. Any form of trying to influence the opinions of the people should be avoided; 5. All the details of decisions taken should be recorded.

Le droit au consentement libre, préalable et éclairé signifie que les gouvernements doivent informer les communautés autochtones des projets de développement dans leurs territoires, et écouter leurs opinions avant de commencer aucun projet.

Dès la naissance, tout être humain a des droits inaliénables et en tant que peuple autochtone, nous avons le droit au consentement libre, préalable et éclairé. Ce droit vaut pour tout le monde quel que soit le pays d'ou vous venez, et il doit être appliqué des lors qu'un gouvernement tente d’exploiter les ressources naturelles dans nos communautés. Et ce particulièrement quand ces projets risquent de provoquer des changements nuisibles à nos terres.

A chaque saison, je m'inquiète de notre (mauvaise) récolte; nous n’avons plus assez de terres agricoles depuis que l'entreprise s’est installée dans notre communauté. C'est vrai, on a pris nos terres sans notre consentement préalable, libre et éclairé. Ce droit oblige toute entreprise ou gouvernement d'informer, de consulter et d'écouter les peuples autochtones avant d'exploiter leurs terres. Agissons donc pour responsabiliser cette entreprise.

Je suis un autochtone. J’ai donc le droit au consentement préalable, libre et éclairé, mais les gouvernements élaborent beaucoup de stratégies afin de ne pas respecter ce droit. Une des stratégies est d’identifier les chefs de région dans nos communautés et de les persuader de travailler exclusivement dans l’intérêt du gouvernement ou d’une société de promotion plutôt que dans celui de la communauté qu’ils représentent. Et ce en se servant de pots-de-vin, en leur offrant des emplois et en élaborant d’autres stratégies.

Pour les communautés autochtones, le droit au consentement préalable, donné librement et en connaissance de cause est soutenu par l’article 10 de la Déclaration des Droits des Peuples Autochtones de l’ONU. Il déclare que les gouvernements ne peuvent ni déplacer les communautés autochtones de leurs terres ou territoires par la force, ni effectuer des projets sur les terres des peuples autochtones sans leur consentement préalable, libre et éclairé.