According to United Nations statistics, there are approximately 370 to 480 million indigenous peoples worldwide, living in about 90 countries across every inhabited climate zone and continent except Antarctica. They account for nearly 5% of the global population and about 15% of the world's poor.
Mineral resources are often located within the legal or customary land rights of indigenous peoples. The development and utilization of these resources inevitably require addressing and responding to the relationship with indigenous communities and their resource rights, especially in complex national contexts such as weak governance, limited government capacity for population census and monitoring, economic backwardness and poverty, private land ownership, and widespread corruption. Globally, if mining companies cannot find strategies and methods to coexist harmoniously with indigenous peoples, their investments and operations will face significant uncertainties. These uncertainties and their negative impacts manifest as:
Legal Risks: In countries/regions with well-established legislation and effective enforcement, companies found complicit in violating indigenous rights may face severe legal consequences. Failure to adequately comply with consultation standards with indigenous groups can lead to litigation risks. Legal risks are further exacerbated if associated with serious abuses of indigenous groups and environmental degradation.
Operational Risks: Companies involved in projects that fail to adequately address indigenous grievances may face operational disruptions such as blockades or other forms of resistance. For example, indigenous community leaders blocking roads or gates preventing workers from accessing workplaces, or indigenous activism halting mining activities, forcing senior executives to resign to appease the situation.
Reputation and Brand Risks: Companies found associated with incidents of indigenous rights violations may face reputational damage. Indigenous groups and civil society organizations (NGOs) often spotlight companies for "corporate complicity in human rights violations," leading to severe reputational consequences, negative media coverage, and brand damage, putting companies at a competitive disadvantage.
Financial Risks: Negative reports related to community and indigenous rights can lead to pressure from shareholders or investors. Investors and the financial industry are increasingly applying Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) standards to their decision-making, and their divestment and/or avoidance can result in reduced or more costly financial support for mining companies.
Who are the members of the Community and Indigenous Issues Interest Group?
Representatives from mining companies
Technical advisors on community issues from Liande Consulting
What does the interest group discuss?
The interest group will focus on real-world cases from companies in four countries across Africa, Asia, and Oceania, delving into the complex institutional backgrounds, management methods, practical experiences, historical lessons, and effective strategies in these cases.
The Community and Indigenous Issues Interest Group will invite members to regularly engage in online brainstorming sessions, focusing on real cases from these four countries and discussing various themes bilaterally or collectively (to be determined through communication and research in the early stages of the activity). The first brainstorming discussion is planned to be held online in April 2025.
![2025 - [Interest Group] Focus on Mining, Communities, Indige](/uploads/allimg/20250212/1-250212163515204.png)
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