News of Note 2/7/25: Thacker Pass FPIC Violations, Indigenous Climate Funds, Overcoming Financial Trauma
Top Stories
As the gold rush surges in Nicaragua, Indigenous communities pay the price (Mongabay)
"A lack of government transparency has made it difficult to know how concessions are granted and what happens to them once mining begins. But activist groups say the industry continues to expand, with weak regulations and widespread corruption resulting in deforestation, pollution and human rights violations against Indigenous communities. [...] One analysis by the land-use observatory Land Matrix América Latina counted 144 active mining concessions in Nicaragua covering 1.7 million hectares (4.2 million acres)"
How Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities Are Shaping the Future of Climate Funding (Ford Foundation)
"Funds are redefining how frontline IP and LC communities are supported—not just in the critical work they do to strengthen collective tenure rights and protect forests, but also in advancing gender equity, food security, and economic opportunities in their communities. Though they vary in size, duration, and scope, their work demonstrates that securing collective land rights is essential to social justice, environmental sustainability, economic equality, and long-term community development."
Oweesta: Beaking The Cycle Of Financial Trauma (Forbes)
"Culturally relevant finance isn’t just a buzzword. It means understanding that Native communities operate with a different set of financial priorities that are deeply rooted in collective well-being, environmental stewardship and tribal governance. Here’s what this looks like in practice: Respect for Tribal Sovereignty… Shared Wealth, Not Individual Gain… The Role of Elders… Environmental and Cultural Stewardship… Flexibility for Cultural Traditions."
US: Lithium Mine Permit Violates Indigenous Peoples’ Rights (Human Rights Watch)
The 133-page report “found that the US Bureau of Land Management permitted the Thacker Pass mine without obtaining the free, prior, and informed consent of Indigenous people—the Numu/Nuwu and Newe, or Northern Paiute and Western Shoshone in English—in violation of their rights to religion, culture, and to their ancestral lands under international human rights law and standards. While there may be others, at least six Tribes have connection to the land at Thacker Pass.”
More News
Brandi Morin in Ecuador: A Canadian mining giant vs. the guardians of the Amazon (Ricohet)
Tribal Organizations Urge Administration to Respect Tribal Sovereignty and Uphold Trust and Treaty Obligations Amid Executive Actions (National Congress of American Indians, Native American Rights Fund, Native American Finance Officers Association, et al.)
CDC Data Removal Threatens Native Health, Violates Treaties, UIHI Says (Native News Online)
Indigenized Energy Completes Nation's First Solar for All Kickoff Projects in Indian Country (Indigenized Energy)
Indigenous support critical to infrastructure projects [Moody’s report] (Investment Executive, Canada)
Federal government announcement [of $842.6 million investment] an acknowledgment communities must lead solutions to close the gap (National Indigenous Times, Australia)
Indigenous youth and women shaping environmental futures (ICT News)
“A Story Dies When No One Tells It”: Indigenous Rights Activists Nemonte Nenquimo and Mitch Anderson on their new book and their journey towards activism in the Amazon (Earth Island Institute)
Let Indigenous youth lead. It’s their future (Policy Options)