Giving Compass' Take:

• Local governments around the world are making decisions about land and resource extraction that significantly impact Indigenous communities without their input. 

• How can donors help strengthen the Indigenous presence and representation in local government to help make decisions that affect their communities? 

• Learn the role of philanthropy in helping Indigenous peoples. 

Around the world, the rights of indigenous peoples[1] are often in tension with the economic interests of extractive companies and governments. Many indigenous communities live in biodiverse and resource-rich regions that also have revenue-generating potential for extracting oil, gas, or other resources. Resource governance problems are not, of course, unique to indigenous communities; however, abiding legacies of colonization and modern-day exploitation and expropriation have posed distinctive threats to indigenous communities. On the other hand, growing international and national recognition of indigenous rights can serve as a springboard for future action.

On the occasion of the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples on August 9, we identify several examples of how threats to indigenous peoples’ rights and well-being can manifest in the natural resource space. We view the problem through the lens of recent work by the Leveraging Transparency to Reduce Corruption (LTRC) project at Brookings to better understand those threats—and suggest ways to support indigenous communities.

Indigenous land rights are under attack around the world: While indigenous peoples claim customary rights to more than half of the planet’s lands and forests, governments have acknowledged their legal right to use or own just 18% worldwide. This is much more than a legal issue, or even an economic one: Land plays an integral role in the cultural, spiritual, and religious lives of indigenous peoples worldwide.

In a recently released report, the LTRC project team examined corruption risks across the natural resource value chain (NRVC). The NRVC encompasses the entire life cycle of resource extraction, from the decision to extract natural resources, the contracts governing the terms of extraction, the production itself, and the revenue generated by extraction and spent by governments.

Read the full article about impact of natural resources on corruption by Carter Squires, Kelsey Landau, and Robin J. Lewis at Brookings.