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The authors propose using the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) to hold the United States accountable for climate change impacts on the Inuit. They argue that U.S. emissions, representing approximately 25% of global totals, have caused sea ice retreat and permafrost thaw, threatening Inuit culture and violating rights such as the right to life, health, and property. While the IACHR cannot mandate emission cuts or compensation, a formal finding of human rights violations would provide moral and political leverage and support future litigation.

This report by Friends of the Earth International asserts that environmental rights—including the right to a sustainable lifestyle, a healthy environment, water access, and food security—are integral to human rights. It details specific conflicts, such as the Ava Guarani's struggle for ancestral lands in Argentina, the impact of Shell's pollution in Curaçao, and the fight against GMO contamination in Mexico. The text criticizes neoliberal economic globalization for enabling multinational corporations to operate with impunity, often displacing indigenous populations and degrading ecosystems. It calls for a new ethics of environmental justice and the implementation of legally binding international conventions to protect marginalized communities from environmental aggression.

The Pangue/Ralco hydroelectric projects in Chile's Alto BíoBío caused severe disruptions to the Mapuche/Pehuenche people's semi-nomadic lifestyle and cultural ecosystem. The project sponsor, Endesa, and the Chilean government are accused of violating indigenous land rights and environmental laws, while the IFC faced criticism for failing to oversee social and environmental standards. After a decade of struggle and legal battles in Chilean courts and before the Inter-American Human Rights Commission (IACHR), a 'friendly settlement' was reached in 2003, providing reparations to affected families and commitments from the Chilean government to strengthen indigenous rights and environmental protections in the region.

The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) approved a friendly settlement on October 17, 2003, between the State of Chile and Mapuche Pehuenche families affected by the Ralco Hydroelectric Project. The dispute centered on the flooding of ancestral lands and the application of electrical laws over indigenous land laws. The final agreement includes commitments for constitutional recognition of indigenous peoples, the ratification of ILO Convention 169, the creation of a new commune in Alto Bío Bío, and specific land and financial compensations for the affected families.

The document examines the role of International Financial Institutions (IFIs), including multilateral development banks and export credit agencies, in financing large-scale extractive projects. It argues that these investments frequently lead to environmental disasters, human rights abuses, and the marginalization of indigenous peoples while failing to alleviate poverty. Through case studies in Peru, Colombia, the Philippines, Laos, Romania, Chad, Cameroon, Papua New Guinea, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Turkey, and Lithuania, the report illustrates the 'resource curse' and the failure of the export-led development model. It concludes by recommending a gradual phase-out of IFI lending for extractive industries and a shift toward renewable energy and community-led sustainable initiatives.

Friends of the Earth International opposes the proposal to include investment rules in the WTO, particularly ahead of the 2003 Cancun Ministerial Conference. The organization argues that investment agreements, such as the failed Multilateral Agreement on Investment (MAI) and NAFTA's Chapter 11, undermine the ability of governments to implement environmental and social policies. It claims there is no empirical evidence that foreign direct investment leads to equitable development and urges the WTO to reject 'procedural modalities' for investment talks and reform existing rules like GATS and TRIMS that already restrict national policy space.

The document argues that WTO negotiations on environmental services, investments, agriculture, and intellectual property could undermine the ability of states to protect indigenous rights. It highlights risks such as the privatization of water, the displacement of communities by industrial agriculture, and the potential for WTO dispute mechanisms to penalize governments that prioritize indigenous land rights over foreign investment.

A statement from global civil society organizations calling on the International Commission on Large Dams (ICOLD) to adopt the World Commission on Dams (WCD) framework and policy principles within its developing Code of Ethics to prevent social and environmental harm.

The document argues that the State of Chile violated the fundamental rights of the Mapuche-Pehuenche communities of Ralco-Lepoy and Quepuca Ralco through the construction of the Ralco hydroelectric plant, which led to the destruction of ancestral lands, cemeteries, and ceremonial spaces. It contends that domestic legal remedies in Chile have been ineffective, illusory, or subject to unjustifiable delays, thereby satisfying the requirements for the admissibility of the petition before the IACHR. The text further argues that the project was economically inefficient and driven by the monopolistic interests of the company Endesa rather than public interest. Additionally, it details systemic discrimination against indigenous peoples in Chile's political and judicial systems, including the use of anti-terrorist and state security laws to criminalize indigenous demands.

The report details the negative impacts of the Chad-Cameroon Oil and Pipeline Project in Cameroon, specifically focusing on the failure of World Bank safeguard measures. It documents systemic issues including discriminatory compensation for indigenous 'pygmy' communities, the impoverishment of small farmers through inadequate payments, the pollution of drinking water sources, and the rise of prostitution involving minors. Additionally, it highlights poor labor conditions and the dismissal of injured workers. The document concludes that the World Bank is unable to meaningfully influence oil companies to respect human rights and the environment, suggesting the Bank should withdraw from financing oil projects entirely.

The intervention by IUCN and CIEL argues that frameworks for accessing genetic resources and traditional knowledge must move beyond intellectual property rights to incorporate biodiversity conservation costs and the legal and customary rights of indigenous peoples and local communities.

The World Conservation Union (IUCN) and the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) state that current intellectual property rights fail to guarantee biological diversity conservation or the rights of indigenous peoples. They urge the Intergovernmental Committee to develop a sui generis system featuring prior informed consent, moral rights recognition, equitable benefit sharing, and compliance monitoring for the use of genetic resources and traditional knowledge.

The paper examines the tension between centralism and decentralization in Mexico, focusing on the state of Oaxaca. It highlights how the diversity of Oaxaca's municipalities—including those governed by indigenous 'usages and customs'—provides a model for local autonomy. The author contends that for sustainability and poverty reduction to be achieved, local governments must transition from being administrators of federal programs to active promoters of development through informed social participation and public accountability.

The author examines the tension between centralism and decentralization in Mexico, highlighting how the historical role of municipalities as mere operators of federal policy hinders local development. Using Oaxaca as a primary example, the text discusses the importance of 'comunalidad' (community-based organization) and the legal recognition of 'usos y costumbres' (customary law) for indigenous governance. It argues that sustainable development requires a shift away from top-down presidentialism toward a model of informed social participation, transparency, and equitable wealth distribution to mitigate the environmental and cultural impacts of globalization.

The report analyzes the historical and legal mechanisms used by the Indonesian state to usurp natural resources from local communities, from Dutch colonial 'Domain Declarations' to the New Order's centralized forestry laws. It argues that the state's narrow definition of 'national interest' as commercial extraction has led to widespread deforestation, human rights abuses, and poverty. The authors propose a shift toward recognizing private community-based property rights (CBPRs) and a reinterpretation of the Indonesian Constitution (Articles 18 and 33) to prioritize local welfare and sustainable management over state-led commercial exploitation. It highlights local initiatives, such as community mapping and co-management agreements in West Papua and Kalimantan, as precedents for substantive reform.

The document calls for a five-year phase-out of all IFI funding for mining and fossil fuel projects, including a prompt moratorium on new projects in ecologically sensitive areas, indigenous territories, and conflict zones. It argues that such investments exacerbate poverty, human rights abuses, and climate change while failing to provide guaranteed economic growth. The author proposes shifting IFI portfolios toward decentralized renewable energy and energy efficiency to support poor communities and mitigate global warming.

CIEL urges the World Bank to revise its draft resettlement policy to ensure the 'improvement' of living standards rather than mere 'restoration', to establish minimum standards for voluntary resettlement, and to protect the rights of indigenous peoples through free and informed consent.

The document argues that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (PTO) erred in reinstating Loren Miller's patent for 'Da Vine,' a variety of ayahuasca. It contends the PTO ignored evidence that the plant's flower color was not distinct from existing varieties, misapplied the legal standard for patentability by using an infringement test from the Imazio case, and violated procedural rules by allowing Miller to submit new evidence after a final rejection while denying similar opportunities to indigenous organizations. The author concludes that the decision reflects a systemic failure to protect the traditional knowledge and biological resources of indigenous peoples in the Amazon Basin.

The Center for International Environmental Law and International Rivers Network express serious reservations regarding the World Bank's draft resettlement policy, arguing it curtails the rights of project-affected people. The authors highlight several problematic areas: the removal of protections for those lacking legal land titles, which disproportionately affects indigenous peoples; the limitation of compensation to 'direct' impacts only; the lack of safeguards for 'voluntary' resettlers; the rejection of an 'improvement' standard for livelihoods in favor of mere 'restoration'; and the creation of a separate, less protective process for people affected by conservation areas. The letter urges the World Bank to align its policy with the recommendations of the World Commission on Dams and to restore transparency to the revision process.

The document argues that the World Bank's draft OP 4.12 represents a regression in resettlement policy by shifting from a goal of improving living standards to a minimum requirement of restoration. It highlights the dangers of replacing land-based compensation with cash, the inadequacy of market-based valuations, and the exclusion of vulnerable groups who lack formal legal land titles. Furthermore, it criticizes the Bank's reduced oversight of borrowers and the creation of a 'voluntary' resettlement category that avoids policy protections and transparency.