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This article explains how democracy exists and shapes Indigenous communities.  The democratic practices of the Indigenous peoples are virtually unknown. And even Indigenous peoples themselves hardly realized that their traditional rule is in fact real democracy, which has shaped their communities for centuries based on their practices, culture, and context.

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We, members of the Indigenous Peoples Advisory Group (IPAG), have engaged in the ongoing Safeguards Policy Review of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) since last year with good faith. We note the positive changes made in the revised ESF, including integration of ESS7 across other ESSs and requirement for Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) of affected Indigenous Peoples for certain circumstances in ADB-financed projects. However, we, including the following Indigenous Peoples Organizations, reiterate the following demands for revisions/additions in the revised ESF, and particularly the revised ESS7, in line with the commentary we submitted on 6 May 2024 and the standards in the policies o…

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The Cambodian Ministry of Environment has blocked Indigenous communities from receiving ownership over thousands of hectares of customary farmlands and culturally significant forests in the Keo Seima REDD+ project zone. The Wildlife Conservation Society, which works with the ministry to administer the project, did not disclose these land disputes caused by the project’s activities to standard setter Verra, and its auditors failed to identify these issues. Indigenous peoples in the REDD+ project face arrests, imprisonment, crop destruction and property confiscation as a result of unclear boundaries and insufficient land allocated to their commu…

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The United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals consist of 17 targets that were set in 2015 as successors of the Millennium Development Goals. They represent an ambitious call to action for global partnership and apply to all U.N. members, with the aim of creating a just world, protecting the planet, ending poverty, and ensuring prosperity for all by 2030. The hope is that individual countries take ownership of these goals and establish policies at the national level to achi…

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The report provides an overview of the Indigenous Peoples in Cambodia, detailing their population, challenges, and ongoing issues with land rights and conservation.…

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Subject:  About the Inclusion of Indigenous Peoples in the ASEAN Environmental Rights Working Group (AER WG) and our non-negotiables for the ASEAN Declaration on Environmental Rights (ADER) Dear members of the ASEAN Environmental Rights Working Group (AER WG), Indigenous Greetings from Indigenous Peoples, Indigenous Women, Indigenous Youth, and Indigenous Persons with Disabilities! Southeast Asia is a region of high biological and cultural diversity, where we, Indigenous Peoples, play a vital role in conserving and managing our land, territories, and resources. …