FPIC-360° Tool for Monitoring and Verifying Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC)
Equitable Origin and the Roundtable on Sustainable Biomaterials are delighted to have received replication grant funding from the ISEAL Innovation Fund to continue the development of the FPIC-360° tool for monitoring and verifying Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC.) FPIC is a principle that informs the right to consultation and is enshrined in the United Nations (UN) Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and the ILO Indigenous and Tribal Peoples Convention 169. As voluntary standards, we draw upon normative frameworks of international human rights to establish performance targets for companies in a variety of sectors related to natural resource development. Many of the ISEAL Alliance member standards, as well as International Finance Institutions, have now 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 successful FPIC is, and how assurance providers can verify whether FPIC has been achieved.
To address this challenge, Phase 1 of this project, undertaken between 2017-18, developed a practical “FPIC-360° “ framework for monitoring and verifying FPIC, informed by an extensive literature analysis as well as participatory workshops conducted in Colombia, Ecuador and Peru where we worked with Indigenous Peoples community representatives to develop a set of culturally relevant and measurable indicators. Please see this page for more information on Phase 1:
Phase 2 of this project, therefore, will see us refining the content of the monitoring and verification framework through implementing it in a case study context. We will also refine the format of the framework into a functional early prototype of the FPIC-360° tool through co-design consultation workshops with a variety of end-user groups, including indigenous Peoples community representative, standard setters, IFIs, assurance providers and private sector representatives. In parallel with the FPIC-360° tool’s development, EO will also lead a Community of Practice consisting of ISEAL member standards, Indigenous Peoples’ representatives, standard setters, assurance providers, IFIs and NGOs.
As for Phase 1, we continue to partner with the Roundtable of Sustainable Biomaterials (RSB) and the Coordinating Organization of Indigenous Peoples of the Amazon Basin (COICA).
For more information about this project, please contact Soledad Mills: smills@equitableorigin.org
About COICA: The Coordinating Organization of Indigenous Peoples of the Amazon Basin
COICA is an organization that fosters the promotion, protection and security of indigenous territories through indigenous ways of life, principles and social, spiritual and cultural values. Their work is framed in the defense of life and the Amazon to preserve the forests for a living planet that will ensure the continuity of our present and future generations. COICA has been a partner of EO for several years and contributed to the development of the EO100™ Standard for Responsible Energy Development. For additional information: www.coica.org.ec
About RSB: The Roundtable on Sustainable Biomaterials: The RSB is a global, multi-stakeholder independent organisation that offers trusted, credible tools and solutions for sustainability and biomaterials certification that mitigate business risk, fuels the bioeconomy and contributes to the UN Sustainable Development Goals. For additional
information: www.rsb.org