Pitfalls and Pipelines - Philippine Indigenous Peoples Links

Chapter 2.8: Importance of Free, Prior and Informed Consent
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Chapter 2.8
Importance of Free, Prior and
Informed Consent
“To put an end to these dynamics of destruction and
violence, the international community—particularly
international investors—must, first and foremost, recognize
indigenous communities’ basic rights to chart their own
development paths, to manage their own resources, to pursue
their traditional livelihoods and cultures, and to say ‘no’
to multinational operations on their lands. The failure to
respect communities’ basic right to ‘just say no’ exists at the
heart of the nexus of human rights violations, environmental
degradation and conflict.”
- John Rumbiak, West Papuan activist 1
Having looked at the previous chapters it will be obvious
that there is a fundamental thread running through this
publication. That is the importance for indigenous peoples of
the right of free, prior and informed consent (FPIC) in the