Free prior informed consent in the extractive industry: Approaches to involving Indigenous peoples in decision-making in Russia

Abstract

Free prior informed consent is a principle for consulting, cooperating, and obtaining consent from Indigenous peoples through their representative institutions on matters affecting them. It is promoted by the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, which calls on nations to strengthen the civil, political, and economic rights of Indigenous peoples by securing their rights to land, minerals, and other natural resources. Extractive companies have been developing policies to address Indigenous peoples' concerns as part of legal compliance and voluntary actions under corporate social responsibility. The lives and cultural heritage of Indigenous peoples are continuously affected by operations of extractive industries. This is notable in the Circumpolar North, where Indigenous peoples have developed sustainable resource use practices in fragile natural environments. In this paper, we examine corporate social responsibility approaches to implementing free prior informed consent in Russia. We investigate how public and civil institutions influence the policies of extractive companies and their impact on Indigenous peoples' self-determination and participation in decision-making.

Keywords: Corporate social responsibility; Free prior informed consent; Indigenous peoples; Indigenous self-government; Mining.