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The Global Compact is developing a Business Reference Guide on the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples to raise awareness among business of indigenous peoples’ rights and the corporate responsibility to respect these rights. The Guide will also provide practical suggestions for respecting and supporting these rights.
During the six-month public consultation period (10 December 2012 – 1 June 2013) for the first exposure draft of the Guide, the Global Compact received over 50 written comments representing a diverse range of perspectives, as well as robust input during online and in-person consultations, including on the sidelines of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues meeting. Publicly posted submissions are available at the Business and Human Rights Dilemma’s Forum. To ensure high-quality revisions are reflected, the Global Compact has convened an Expert Advisory Group to help finalize the Guide.
Based on comments received during the consultation and from the Expert Advisory Group, the Global Compact has released a second exposure draft of the Business Reference Guide on the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples for comment. The final Guide will be released at the UN Forum on Business and Human Rights on 2-4 December 2013.
All are invited to send comments on the second draft to undrip@unglobalcompact.org through 7 October 2013.
A group of Global Compact LEAD participants initiated the project to increase understanding in the business community of how to meet the corporate responsibility to respect indigenous peoples’ rights and opportunities to support indigenous peoples’ rights. The Taskforce is comprised of the following participants: Barrick Gold Corp., Dean’s Beans, Enel/Endesa, KPMG, China Minmetals Corp., Newmont Mining Corp., Repsol, Sakhalin Energy Investment Company Ltd., Teck Resources, Vale and Westpac Banking Corp.
During 2012, the Taskforce has participated in webinars to dialogue and explore potential good practice, including with representatives of the Secretariat of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, and the International Labour Organisation. Additionally, with pro-bono support from the law firm White & Case, the group completed a mapping of international standards and norms in the area of business and indigenous peoples’ rights. View the mapping results.
The Business and Human Rights Dilemmas Forum has a section on indigenous peoples' rights, where you can explore challenges, case studies, and potential good practice with regard to business engagement with indigenous peoples.
All interested parties are invited to submit case studies to be included in the Practical Supplement, which will be released with the final Business Reference Guide to the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. Case studies should be identified by indigenous peoples and businesses as leading examples of respecting and supporting the rights set out in the UN Declaration.
Please submit case studies to undrip@unglobalcompact.org by 15 October 2013.
Michelle Lau
Project Manager, Global Compact LEAD
UN Global Compact
laum@un.org
