From Policy to Action: Indigenous Peoples Call for Implementation at the 10th Regional Forum on Business and Human Rights
Despite budget cuts and the shrinking of civic space, Indigenous leaders from across Latin America and the Caribbean arrived in Panama with a clear message: the rights of Indigenous Peoples cannot remain mere political commitments on paper. The coming decade must focus on implementation, accountability, and respect for the self-determination of Indigenous Peoples.
Indigenous Voices Remain Essential Despite Budget Cuts
On the occasion of the 10th Regional Forum on Business and Human Rights in Panama City, Indigenous representatives from across Latin America and the Caribbean first gathered at the Indigenous Peoples’ Caucus to identify common concerns and draft joint recommendations.
The meeting took place against a challenging backdrop. Budget cuts across the United Nations system and among international cooperation agencies significantly limited Indigenous Peoples’ participation. Nevertheless, Indigenous organizations mobilized resources and, in many cases, self-funded their attendance to ensure their communities were represented in regional decision-making forums.
A Growing Concern: Extractive Activities and the Protection of Indigenous Peoples’ Territories
Participants repeatedly highlighted the rapid expansion of illegal mining throughout the region and its impact on the territories, livelihoods, governance systems, and security of Indigenous Peoples’ communities.
The discussions also highlighted the continued failure of many States to fulfill their obligations to protect the collective rights of Indigenous Peoples, especially when economic interests are prioritized over human rights commitments.
As Javier Palummo, Special Rapporteur on economic, social, cultural, and environmental rights of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, noted: “There is no shortage of assessments; what is urgently needed is action, the implementation of recommendations, and systematic monitoring and support.”
Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC) is a right, not a procedural requirement
One of the Forum’s central debates focused on the report by the United Nations Working Group on Business and Human Rights regarding Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC).
Cecilio Solís Librado, a Nahua Indigenous leader from Mexico and president of CIELO, reminded participants that FPIC cannot be reduced to a mere administrative formality: “FPIC is a right, not a mere bureaucratic formality. It demands respect for Indigenous Peoples’ own governance systems, for communities’ timelines, and for their genuine right to say yes, no, or to reconsider proposals that affect their lands, territories, and future.”
Participants also emphasized that meaningful dialogue requires mutual understanding. Just as Indigenous Peoples have often been expected to adapt to and understand legal and business frameworks, States and companies must also strive to understand and appreciate Indigenous institutions and governance, decision-making processes, and knowledge systems.
From Policy to Implementation
Throughout the discussions, a recurring message emerged: the challenge is no longer the absence of standards.
Fifteen years after the adoption of the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, participants underscored the urgent need to translate due diligence, responsible business conduct, redress mechanisms, and Indigenous participation into measurable and enforceable indicators.
The Forum concluded with a strong call to governments, businesses, and international institutions to ensure that Indigenous Peoples are recognized not merely as stakeholders, but as rights-holders whose full and effective participation is indispensable to achieving sustainable and equitable development—and, in the words of Indigenous Peoples, development that comes closer to the vision of Buen Vivir.
Looking Ahead
The coming decade will require more than just commitments and good intentions. It will require the effective implementation of Indigenous Peoples’ rights, accountability, access to resources, and the full and effective participation of Indigenous Peoples in decisions affecting their lands, territories, present, and future. As those who participated in the Forum made clear, economic development cannot continue to proceed along paths separate from human rights and, in particular, the rights of Indigenous Peoples.
