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

Gurung

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

Gurung

Gurung

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.

Entrevistas sobre temas Indigenas desde La Segunda Cumbre Continental de Comunicación Indigena, celebrandose en Tlahuiltotepec, Oaxaca, Mexico en Octubre, 2013. Wilma Calderon, del pueblo Mesquito de Honduras, habla de cómo su pueblo si se ha informado sobre el Consentimiento Libre, Previo e Informado para proteger sus tierras contra el gobierno de Honduras. Escucha cómo crearon su propio protocolo para consulta y como la han implementado contra el gobierno, compañías privadas, y organizaciones internacionales.

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

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

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

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.

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 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 elect leaders who will fight for the interests of their people and not the interests of the government.