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On International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples, the International Council on Mining and Metals (ICMM) members reaffirmed their commitment to respect the rights of Indigenous groups, recognizing their importance as partners in the development of mining projects on their lands and territories.
ICMM’s updated Indigenous Peoples and Mining Position Statement includes commitments to obtain agreement from Indigenous peoples on anticipated impacts to their rights from mining activities, identified through human rights due diligence and early and meaningful engagement.
These processes reflect a company’s responsibility to respect Indigenous peoples’ rights, independent of the state’s obligation to obtain the free, prior and informed consent of Indigenous peoples prior to the approval of projects affecting their lands, territories and resources.
It also sets out what companies will do if agreement cannot be reached and states have granted permission for projects to proceed, ICMM said.
The update comes at a crucial time in the world’s energy transition, with the University of Queensland estimating that 54% of critical mineral mining projects are located on or near Indigenous lands.
It is also set against the backdrop of increasing challenges to Indigenous peoples’ rights and ways of life from a variety of sources including climate change, nature loss and wider industrial development including mining.
The revised Position Statement has been developed over more than two years with extensive engagement with Indigenous peoples’ representatives, human rights and legal experts, and with significant input from ICMM members’ subject matter experts and leaders. Their inputs have helped to inform and strengthen the 9 commitments detailed in the Position Statement.
“The updated Indigenous Peoples and Mining Position Statement brings significantly more rigor to the expectations of ICMM member companies in how we, the mining industry, engage, understand and respect the rights of Indigenous peoples,” Tom Palmer, chair of ICMM’s social performance council advisory group and the CEO of Newmont, said in the statement.
“These commitments serve as the foundations of lasting relationships built on transparency, trust and mutual benefit,” Palmer added.
ICMM president Rohitesh Dhawan added that these commitments reinforce the council’s dedication to respecting Indigenous peoples’ rights, participating in meaningful engagement, and supporting the fair and equitable participation of Indigenous peoples in the development of mining projects on their lands and territories.
