Consent is everybody’s business; Why banks need to act on free, prior and informed consent

Consent is everybody’s business; Why banks need to act on free, prior and informed consent
Shona Hawkes
Oxfam Library, August 2019
Open Access
Summary
A community’s choice to give, or withhold, their free, prior and informed consent (FPIC) to a project or activity planned to take place on their land is a recognized right of Indigenous peoples under international law. It is also a best practice principle that applies to all communities affected by projects or activities on the land, water and forests that they rely on. Free, prior and informed consent has additional benefits for banks involved in such projects, and their clients, in helping to avoid a diverse array of potential risks…

Editor’s note: This paper is published by Oxfam International as a “part of a series of papers written to inform public debate on development and humanitarian policy issues.”