Amplifying Indigenous Leadership with OECD Insights

"Minerals and mining projects are geographically concentrated in rural and remote regions. Across the OECD, these mining regions are home to a relatively high proportion of Indigenous peoples" - 2024 OECD Conference of Mining Regions and Cities (Canada).

If the future of sustainable development is to be truly inclusive, Indigenous leadership must sit at its core. This is a key message from the recent OECD Conference of Mining Regions and Cities in Canada (October 2024).

Major on-country projects, when engaged with Indigenous interests from early stage design, have the greatest chance to be positively shaped by those Indigenous inputs. And when Indigenous interests are afforded the opportunity to co-invest at capital raise, creating shared equity at commercial terms, then it creates greater project certainty.

Many Indigenous interests are looking for development opportunities that bring positive outcomes to their lives in ways that are consistent with their values and responsibilities. It can be argued that the original sustainability managers are Indigenous peoples.

This type of development isn’t just a moral imperative—it’s a strategic and pragmatic approach to achieving equitable growth and environmental resilience.

Indigenous-led pathways for development, as highlighted in the OECD Indigenous Program, provide a robust framework for realizing these ambitions on a global scale. The program, deeply informed by consultations with Indigenous leaders from countries like Australia, Canada, Chile, and Sweden, offers actionable strategies that governments, industries, and civil society must embrace.

"Across the globe a large share of mining activities take place on Indigenous territories and yet, Indigenous peoples as rightsholders have rarely adequately benefited from resource extraction on their traditional lands. In recognition of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), Indigenous Rights and Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC) require greater implementation in national law and industry practice. The road to addressing climate change and access to critical minerals must meaningfully benefit and improve the well-being of Indigenous communities."

Aligning Policy with Indigenous Leadership

The OECD’s Call to Action, developed through a collective of Indigenous leaders, underscores the urgent need for systemic reform. Central to this vision is embedding Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC) into national legal frameworks, ensuring Indigenous sovereignty is not merely acknowledged but actively upheld. This means creating mechanisms where Indigenous communities genuinely lead negotiations and retain authority over decisions that impact their lands and lives.

Additionally, the OECD stresses the importance of Indigenous-led regional planning. Platforms for collaboration, such as economic coalitions formed by Treaty groups or Traditional Owner affiliations, can help Indigenous communities articulate shared visions and leverage collective bargaining power. Governments and industries and proponents will do well to support and respect these coalitions to ensure equitable participation. Exclusion of Indigenous interests is more likely to invite litigation, delay and diminished returns to committed capital or investment capital placed.

Leveraging Economic Opportunity

The OECD program highlights the vast potential of Indigenous economic participation, particularly in resource-driven sectors like mining. Nearly half of the world’s critical minerals are located on or near Indigenous lands. The transition to green energy creates a unique opportunity to involve Indigenous entrepreneurs and communities in resource extraction, supply chains, and renewable energy projects. This shift isn’t just beneficial for Indigenous communities—it’s a critical step toward addressing global sustainability challenges.

This fresh approach requires the retirement of old ideas of Indigenous capabilities and development ambitions. Indigenous interests are increasingly university education, industry specialists with ambitions for the development and protection of their sacred responsibilities to country.

Governments can create the right policy settings to address financial barriers that hinder Indigenous participation in these sectors. The OECD recommends targeted loan programs and joint investment initiatives that allow Indigenous entrepreneurs to secure the capital needed for equity ownership or business expansion. Such measures ensure Indigenous peoples are not just participants but key stakeholders in the industries transforming their regions.

There is an appetite for Indigenous-led development that is supported by the right regulatory settings and public policies and offers a partner to the private sector, investors and proponents.

The Power of Investment in Indigenous-Led Development

Investment and finance are pivotal in realizing sustainable development when directed toward Indigenous interests. Shared equity models, where Indigenous communities hold ownership stakes in resource projects, create pathways for lasting prosperity.

By leveraging tailored financial tools—such as Indigenous-specific loan programs, impact investment funds, and joint ventures—communities gain access to capital while ensuring alignment with their cultural and economic priorities.

These models not only generate wealth but also foster self-determination, positioning Indigenous peoples as leaders in sustainability.

Strategic investment in Indigenous-led initiatives delivers a dual dividend: creating sustainable development that empowers communities and advancing investment and economic goals for investors and proponents with lower risk profile and greater project certainty.

Building Governance and Capacity

The OECD’s program also calls for governments and industries to strengthen Indigenous governance structures and capacity-building in matters of investment, finance and economic development.

Effective and inclusive governance, tailored to the diverse needs of Indigenous communities, is critical for unlocking the potential of place-based development. This includes access to independent Indigenous experts who can guide communities in negotiations and project oversight.

In regions like Northern Ontario, Australia, and Scandinavia, where the OECD has actively collaborated with Indigenous leaders, place-based approaches have shown that empowering Indigenous governance leads to more sustainable and equitable outcomes. These successes must be scaled and adapted globally to ensure all Indigenous communities can benefit from the opportunities ahead.

Driving Accountability Through Collaboration

True transformation requires more than policy shifts—it demands sustained collaboration between governments, industries, and Indigenous interests. The OECD program offers a blueprint for fostering these partnerships through its emphasis on transparent reporting, ongoing dialogue, and shared responsibility. Mining companies, for example, are going beyond compliance to build lasting relationships with Indigenous communities, incorporating traditional knowledge into environmental planning, remediation, and monitoring processes. And the gold standard is pioneering models of co-investment and shared equity with Indigenous interests afforded the same opportunity to receive Information Memorandums at capital raisings as the investment communities in far off cities like London, Seoul, Tokyo and New York.

By aligning these practices with the OECD’s recommendations, governments and industries can set a new standard for accountability. Regular assessments of social and environmental impacts, conducted in collaboration with Indigenous communities, ensure development remains responsive to evolving needs and priorities.

A Global Imperative

As the OECD program articulates, Indigenous leadership is not a regional issue—it’s a global necessity. The Sustainable Development Goals' (SDGs) promise to "leave no one behind" cannot be achieved without addressing the systemic exclusion of Indigenous peoples from decision-making and economic opportunity.

The way forward is clear. Governments must harmonize mining laws and economic policies with FPIC principles, while industries must invest in Indigenous equity and entrepreneurship. Collaborative frameworks, informed by the OECD’s insights, provide a scalable model for achieving these goals.

Indigenous communities are ready to lead. Their deep connection to land, their innovative approaches to sustainability, and their resilience in the face of historical injustices make them essential partners in building a sustainable future.

The world must now rise to meet their leadership with the respect, resources, and partnerships they deserve.

As we face the defining challenges of our time—climate change, economic inequality, and cultural erosion—let us turn to the wisdom and governance of Indigenous peoples.

The task before us is to act boldly and inclusively.