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Enabling Free, Prior and Informed Consent through Voluntary Standards

Last September the RSB joined the Steering Committee of a project led by Equitable Origin to examine the issue of Indigenous Peoples’ right to Free, Prior and Informed Consent, or FPIC, and how it is applied in the context of voluntary sustainability standards.

The project is supported by the ISEAL Innovation Fund with the participation of the RSB and the Coordinator of Indigenous Organizations of the Amazon River Basin – COICA.

Many international standards, including the International Finance Corporation (IFC) Performance Standards and several ISEAL member standards, have incorporated FPIC requirements. The problem facing standard-setting bodies, however, is the lack of knowledge, experience, examples and guidance on how FPIC can and should be implemented, what a successful FPIC is, and how assurance providers can verify whether FPIC has been achieved.

This project aims to demystify the FPIC concept and produce a practical guide for it that is developed in partnership with Indigenous Peoples and can be used by standard-setting bodies and assurance providers.

For more information about this project, please access: https://www.equitableorigin.org/2017/11/enabling-free-prior-and-informed-consent-through-voluntary-standards/

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