Announcement of the Online Course: “Right to Consultation and Free, Prior and Informed Consent”

Panama August 27, 2024 

The FSC Indigenous Foundation, in collaboration with the Mesoamerican Alliance of Peoples and Forests (AMPB), the Autonomous University of Chiapas (UNACH), and Equitable Origin, is proud to announce the start of the online course on the Right to Consultation and Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC). The course begins today, August 27, 2024, with an opening and induction session to welcome participants and present the course contents and study format. 

FPIC is a specific right of Indigenous Peoples recognized in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) that allows Indigenous Peoples to give or withdraw their consent, at any time, concerning projects affecting their territories. 

“Historically, our Indigenous Peoples have been expelled from their ancestral lands to make way for extractive projects, violating the good living of many Indigenous Peoples. Empowering ourselves in these processes such as FPIC, allows us to make decisions in any proposed development activity in our Indigenous communities.”

Nely González, Lenca People, Confederation of Indigenous Peoples of Honduras (CONPAH), who will participate in this course.

The objective of this course is to empower Indigenous leaders and technicians from countries in Central America to guide their communities and organizations in consultation and advocacy processes, understand and apply national and international legislation on FPIC, and use national and international mechanisms for the effective protection of Indigenous territorial rights. 

Through this course, the 50 participants will receive training through five modules with legal lecturers specialized in Indigenous Peoples’ rights on protection and defense of territorial rights, informed consent, and relevant national and international legal mechanisms. 

The course will run for three months, meeting weekly. UNACH will certify participants who have satisfactorily completed the course, readings, exercises, and practical work. 

We are excited about the start of this training and are confident that this course will contribute significantly to the empowerment of Indigenous Peoples in the region to manage, develop, and govern their territories based on the principles of self-development, environmental stewardship, and respect for their rights.  

“It is of great importance to be able to participate in the FPIC course, it provides us with the necessary tools so that our Indigenous Peoples know their rights and are protagonists of the initiatives or projects that they do not accept by imposition, but that the cosmovision of our peoples is respected, the benefits they will acquire and what the risks will be in any scenario.”

Marlene Herández, Ngäbe-Buglé People, Panama, working for Geoveristy and participant in this course

This initiative is part of the Indigenous Peoples Alliance for Rights and Development (IPARD) Program, supported by USAID, the Forest Stewardship Council, and private sector partners.