Indigenous Peoples and the Environment

About this grant

The goal of the project is to reform the World Bank and Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) policies and projects that affect indigenous peoples and the environment. By working to secure indigenous rights, the project simultaneously supports the protection of sensitive tropical forest ecosystems. It connects indigenous leaders with multilateral development bank (MDB) and government officials to ensure that indigenous concerns are integrated into MDB policies and projects and informs non-governmental organizations (NGOs) about indigenous perspectives on MDB activities. Multiyear funding will support objectives that include promoting transparency and participation of indigenous peoples in the final drafting of the World Bank’s Indigenous Peoples Policy and the creation of the new World Bank Indigenous Peoples Grants Facility; encouraging the development of an indigenous peoples policy at the IDB; helping indigenous organizations benefit from a new IDB database on indigenous rights law; ensuring that policies conform to existing and emerging international legal standards for protecting the rights of indigenous peoples; and monitoring specific World Bank and IDB projects.Accomplishments during the past two years included facilitating key meetings between indigenous leaders and World Bank management; winning a groundbreaking ruling to protect indigenous forest lands in Nicaragua; and securing World Bank and IDB commitments to participate in the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Peoples.