For Immediate Release
Contact: Noreen Quadir [email protected]

Indigenous Leaders to Participate in 17th OECD Forum on Responsible Mineral Supply Chains on May 21-24, 2024 at OECD Headquarters, Paris

May 16, 2024 – The Securing Indigenous Peoples Rights to a Green Economy (SIRGE) Coalition is pleased to announce their participation at the 17th OECD Forum on Responsible Mineral Supply Chains from May 21st to May 24th in Paris. SIRGE Coalition will be joined by representatives of its member organizations First Peoples Worldwide, Cultural Survival, Earthworks, and Society for Threatened Peoples. 

The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) is the leader in international and industry standards for guidelines to help multinational enterprises and companies practice due diligence for sustainable business conduct. These guidelines will form the basis of the forum’s discussions, along with the exploration of longstanding and emerging priorities to foster responsible mineral supply chains. Sessions will examine the often overlooked conflict risks, development minerals, policy cohesion, and responsible business conduct in government-to-government agreements on transition minerals.

The demand for transition minerals and battery metals used in current energy technologies has accelerated in response to the climate crisis and the need to shift away from fossil fuels. However, mining for battery minerals such as cobalt, lithium, copper, and nickel causes significant environmental impacts and is disproportionately harmful to Indigenous Peoples. More than half of transition minerals globally are on or located near Indigenous Peoples’ lands.   SIRGE Coalition focuses on the urgent need to uphold and respect Indigenous Peoples’ right to self-determination and free, prior, and informed consent (FPIC), as set out in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP)

SIRGE representatives at the OECD Forum next week include Galina Angarova (Buryat), Executive Director at SIRGE Coalition; Kate Finn (Osage), Chair of the Executive Committee at SIRGE Coalition and Executive Director at First Peoples Worldwide; Edson Krenak (Krenak), Advocacy Coordinator at Cultural Survival; Payal Sampat, Mining Program Director at Earthworks; Nalori Chakma (Chakma), Transition Minerals Analyst at First Peoples Worldwide; and Silvia Schönenberger, Program Manager, Climate Justice and Indigenous Rights at Society for Threatened Peoples in Switzerland.

A panel organized by the Business & Human Rights Resource Centre (BHRRC) and joined by Edson Krenak will run on May 21st from 9:45am-11:15am. The panel will cover human rights abuses of Indigenous Peoples in transition minerals mining. A presentation of the findings of the 5th edition of the Transition Minerals Tracker by BHRRC will be followed by a discussion exploring risk drivers and perspectives from Indigenous communities on how the private sector and states can genuinely foster meaningful engagement with local rights holders. Other speakers include Caroline Avan, Head of Program at BHRRC, Beverly Besmanos, Coordinator at Bantay Kita – Publish What You Pay Philippines, and Roberto Stefani, Extractive Industries Knowledge Hub Coordinator at Oxfam.

Kate Finn will be joining Chelsea Hodgkins, Public Citizen member of the Lead the Charge Network, Jan Knacksterdt of Mercedez Benz, Blake Harwell of the OECD Trade Union Advisory Committee (TUAC), and Cäcilie Le Gallic of the OECD Centre for Responsible Business Conduct on the Multi-Stakeholder Panel on Mining Sector Audits and Standards: Flaws, Gaps and Recommendations on May 23rd from 2:15pm-3:30pm. The partner-led panel is organized by Transportation & Environment (T&E), The Sunrise Project, Public Citizen, Rainforest Foundation Norway, and Earthworks, and will be moderated by Payal Sampat from Earthworks, which is also a member of the Lead the Charge Network. 

The session will present findings from a recent analysis of third-party assurance and audit schemes in the minerals sectors, followed by a discussion and audience Q&A on key issues related to multi-stakeholder governance, the credibility of underlying standards and their audits, and challenges and opportunities these gaps pose for automakers and regulators as a due diligence tool in the transition to electric vehicles.

There will also be an online webinar on Global Indigenous perspectives & responses to mining impacts on May 22nd from 2:30pm-3:30pm, organized by Camborne School of Mines at the University of Exeter. Kate Finn and Edson Krenak will join Salimata Sy, VP Association Femmes Chefs de Famille and Aichetou Haidara, VP of 3CM (Coalition Contre la Corruption en Mauritanie) to discuss the impacts of mining on Indigenous communities and measures being taken to protect and restore Indigenous rights and human rights of local populations. The webinar will be moderated by Madeline R. Young, Associate Lecturer at Camborne School of Mines at the University of Exeter. 

Both Galina Angarova and Kate Finn will join Rebecca Burton, Deputy Director at Initiative for Responsible Mining Assurance (IRMA), on the partner-led workshop, Operationalizing Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) across Transition Mineral Supply Chains on May 24th from 9:00am-10:30am. Organized by First Peoples Worldwide, SIRGE, and IRMA, the workshop will introduce new guidance materials on FPIC, including relevant resources for identifying Indigenous Peoples globally and commonly asked Q&A’s to help investors and purchasers of mined materials strengthen their independent due diligence related to FPIC. Workshop participants will be invited to share their experiences and additional questions, and offer examples of leading performance. The session will be moderated by Earthworks’ Mining Program Director, Payal Sampat.

For more information about the forum and to register, visit: https://www.oecd-events.org/responsible-mineral-supply-chain/

About SIRGE

The Securing Indigenous Peoples’ Rights in the Green Economy (SIRGE) Coalition implements transformative solutions to secure the rights of Indigenous Peoples in the global transition to a green economy. With respect to the transition mineral supply chain, SIRGE Coalition focuses on the urgent need to operationalize Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) as enumerated in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. The Coalition is made up of First Peoples Worldwide, Cultural Survival, Earthworks, Batani Foundation, and Society for Threatened Peoples, with new affiliate member International Work Group for Indigenous Affairs (IWGIA).

Media Contact: [email protected]

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MEDIA ALERT

Contact: Noreen Quadir [email protected]

SIRGE Participation at the 17th OECD Forum on Responsible Mineral Supply Chains May 21-24, 2024 at OECD Headquarters, Paris

The Securing Indigenous Peoples Rights to a Green Economy (SIRGE) Coalition will participate at the 17th OECD Forum on Responsible Mineral Supply Chains from May 21st to May 24th in Paris. SIRGE Coalition will be joined by representatives of its member organizations First Peoples Worldwide, Cultural Survival, Earthworks, and Society for Threatened Peoples. 

The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) is the leader in international and industry standards for guidelines to help multinational enterprises and companies practice due diligence for sustainable business conduct. 

Below is information on the partner-led sessions.

May 21, 2024
9:45am-11:15am
Location: Auditorium

Too many abuses, too few benefits?
Evidence from the 5th edition of the BHRRC Transition Minerals Tracker on the impacts of transition minerals mining on Indigenous Peoples and local affected communities, and perspectives on enhancing engagement and benefit-sharing.

Organized by Business & Human Rights Resource Centre (BHRRC)

Speakers:

Edson Krenak, Advocacy Coordinator at Cultural Survival and member of SIRGE Coalition’s Executive Committee

Caroline Avan, Head of Program at BHRRC

Beverly Besmanos, Coordinator at Bantay Kita – Publish What You Pay Philippines

Roberto Stefani, Extractive Industries Knowledge Hub Coordinator at Oxfam

The session will start with a presentation of the findings of the 5th edition of the Transition Minerals Tracker by BHRRC, and will be followed by a panel discussion and a Q&A session, exploring risk drivers, as well as offering perspectives and reflections from communities and Indigenous Peoples on how the private sector and States can genuinely foster meaningful engagement with local rights holders to achieve shared prosperity and respect for human rights in transition minerals supply chains.

Contact: [email protected]

May 22, 2024
2:30pm-3:30pm
Location: Online

Global Indigenous perspectives & responses to mining impacts webinar

Organized by Camborne School of Mines at the University of Exeter

Speakers:

Edson Krenak, Advocacy Coordinator at Cultural Survival and member of SIRGE Coalition’s Executive Committee

Kate Finn, Chair of Executive Committee of SIRGE Coalition and Executive Director of First Peoples Worldwide

Nalori Chakma, Transition Minerals Analyst at First Peoples Worldwide

Salimata Sy, VP Association Femmes Chefs de Famille (Association of Women Heads of Families)

Aichetou Haidara, VP of 3CM (Coalition Contre la Corruption en Mauritanie)

Moderator: Madeline R. Young, Associate Lecturer at Camborne School of Mines at the University of Exeter

This is an academic and civil society partner-led panel session, bringing together global Indigenous civil society leaders, legal specialists, and scholars to discuss the impacts of mining on their communities and measures being taken to protect and restore Indigenous rights and human rights of local populations. Discussions will include gaps in mining-sector social and cultural responsibilities, recommendations to reduce and mitigate negative impacts of mining activities, and how to improve mining impact remediation, particularly adverse impacts on Indigenous peoples and women, who tend to bear the brunt costs of global resource inequalities.

Contact: [email protected] 

May 23, 2024
2:15pm-3:30pm
Location: CC2

Multi-Stakeholder Panel on Mining Sector Audits and Standards: Flaws, Gaps and Recommendations

Organized by Transportation & Environment (T&E), The Sunrise Project, Public Citizen, Rainforest Foundation Norway, and Earthworks

Speakers:

Kate Finn, Chair of Executive Committee at SIRGE Coalition and Executive Director of First Peoples Worldwide

Payal Sampat, Mining Program Director at Earthworks and member of SIRGE Coalition’s Executive Committee

Chelsea Hodgkins of Public Citizen, member of the Lead the Charge Network

Jan Knacksterdt of Mercedez Benz

Blake Harwell of the OECD Trade Union Advisory Committee

Cäcilie Le Gallic, Policy Analyst of the OECD Centre for Responsible Business Conduct

This panel will present findings from a recent analysis of third-party assurance and audit schemes in the minerals sectors. A deeper discussion and audience Q&A will follow on key issues related to multi-stakeholder governance, the credibility of underlying standards and their audits, and challenges and opportunities these gaps pose for automakers and regulators as a due diligence tool in the transition to electric vehicles.

Contact: [email protected]

May 24, 2024
9:00am-10:30am
Location: CC16

Operationalizing Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) across Transition Mineral Supply Chains

Organized by First Peoples Worldwide, SIRGE Coalition, and Initiative for Responsible Mining Assurance 

Speakers:

Galina Angarova, Executive Director of SIRGE Coalition

Kate Finn,  Chair of Executive Committee at SIRGE Coalition and Executive Director of First Peoples Worldwide

Rebecca Burton, Deputy Director of IRMA

Moderator: Payal Sampat of Earthworks and Executive Committee member of SIRGE Coalition

This workshop will introduce new guidance materials on FPIC, including relevant resources for identifying Indigenous Peoples globally and an initial set of commonly asked questions and answers to help investors and purchasers of mined materials strengthen their independent due diligence related to FPIC. Workshop participants will be invited to share their experiences, ask additional questions, and offer examples of leading performance.

Contact: [email protected] 

For more information about the forum and to register, visit: https://www.oecd-events.org/responsible-mineral-supply-chain/