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Our group's Native name Yethiya wihe’ means “We all give to them/We all invest in them” in the Oneida language. IIPWG calls are held on the third Thursday of every month. All are welcome.
Thank you to everyone who was able to attend the January IIPWG strategy call. Please find highlights from discussions below about shareholder engagement opportunities through the Escazú Agreement and mining in the lithium triangle, as well as No Native Mascots resources in advance of the Kansas City NFL team playing the Super Bowl in February. Please also find links to upcoming events, recently released resources, and news items that may be of interest.

We look forward to seeing you on the next IIPWG call, Thursday, February 15, at 11:00 am ET. For interested shareholders, the monthly FPIC working group will meet on Thursday, February 1, at 1:00 pm ET. 
 

The Escazú Agreement: Instrument for Protecting Indigenous Peoples & Opportunity for Investor Statement

The Escazú Agreement is the world’s first legally binding instrument with provisions on environmental human rights defenders. Formally titled the Regional Agreement on Access to Information, Public Participation and Justice in Environmental Matters in Latin America and the Caribbean the agreement requires states to prevent, investigate and punish violence against environmental defenders. It establishes the right to access:
  • Environmental information
  • Public participation in the environmental decision-making process
  • Justice in environmental matters

While the agreement does not explicitly cite Indigenous Peoples’ as holders of these rights, many Indigenous Peoples’ are environmental defenders. The rights enshrined in the legally binding agreement can be used as a tool to bring corporate and state practices into alignment with protection of Indigenous Peoples and their rights, including the right to Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC). Fifteen countries in Latin America and the Caribbean have ratified the Escazú Agreement and eighteen countries have not.

By leveraging the agreement and the rights it enshrines to environmental defenders, there is an opportunity for shareholders to move the private sector forward on protecting Indigenous Peoples in all of these countries. If you are interested in collaborating and exploring an investor statement, please reach out to Mary Beth Gallagher at mgallagher@domini.com.

Read more about the agreement: Escazú Agreement: A New Opportunity to Protect Indigenous Rights? via Cultural Survival.
 

Lithium Mining in Chile: Opportunities for Shareholder Advocacy and Questions to Impacted Companies 

IIPWG participants discussed two opportunities for shareholders interested in activating on Indigenous Peoples’ rights violations in lithium mining in Chile and the broader lithium triangle region. 

Mercy Investments and ICCR are interested in coordinating engagements with companies mining lithium in Chile and the lithium triangle, including the companies Albemarle and SQM. Please reach out to Maxwell Homans at mhomans@mercyinvestments.org if you are interested in learning more.

In March, the SIRGE Coalition will be convening with Indigenous communities impacted by lithium mining operations in Chile. If you have questions for rights holders in the region, such as inquiries regarding extractive industry impacts, corporate involvement, respect of the right to FPIC, please submit them to First Peoples Worldwide at fpw@colorado.edu.
 

KC NFL Team at Super Bowl LVIII: Resources for Investors

Not in Our Honor will protest the Kansas City NFL team’s racist name and logo at the Super Bowl on February 11. For those considering activation, we reshare priorities from founder Rhonda LeValdo, presented to IIPWG last July (recording available upon request):
  • The primary goal is for Native children to be safe given harm from racist names and logos in sports.
  • Racist fan behavior, such as fake ceremonial headdresses and mocking chants were on display nationally during the 2023 Super Bowl broadcasts despite the team prohibiting such displays.
  • A major challenge is that this behavior permeates the schools and workplaces in Kansas City and surrounding towns with enforcements of wearing team-branded clothing. Native children, students, and professionals are bullied and harassed when they refuse to participate. 
  • Racist mascots, names and logos are a continuation of historical trauma for Native people, which ties to boarding schools that took children away from families to sever cultural ties to their communities. “People who put money into the team should know they are destroying people, destroying our communities, and destroying families,” LeValdo said.

IIPWG participants have discussed several advocacy options, including new sponsor engagements, producing an investor statement on how the team’s appropriation continues to be harmful and a salient issue as a risk for companies, and how to engage networks and cable media that broadcast racist fan behavior.

Additional resources:
  • Not in Our Honor’s petition with over 20,000 signatories to support changing the team name.
  • KC Team Sponsors list collated by IIPWG participants in 2023 with companies including Luxottica, parent company of Oakley, maker of NFL/KC team branded products; GEHA, federal insurance provider which holds naming rights to stadium and is affiliated with publicly traded UnitedHealth Group; and Engelbert Strauss, a German company named partner earlier this year; other major national companies confirmed in 2022-2023 season are AMC Theatres, Anheuser Busch, Coca-Cola, Ford, FritoLay/PepsiCo, McDonald's, and T-Mobile.
  • In 2020, nearly 1,500 signatories representing hundreds of Native groups told the NFL that racist names, mocking chants, appropriation of ceremonial attire, and harrassing, sometimes violent behavior of fans was intolerable.
  • From IIPWG’s statement after the Washington NFL team officially renamed in 2022: "Native American imagery and culture are not historic objects to be diminished as mascots or logos, but rather a valued part of modern culture and the living heritage of vital, contemporary peoples." 
UPCOMING EVENTS
RESOURCES
NEWS ITEMS OF INTEREST

Extractive Industry Impact on Indigenous Communities


Indigenous Rights and Perspectives in Business and Development
International
U.S.
Eradicating Racist Mascots, Names and Appropriation
The Investors & Indigenous Peoples Working Group (IIPWG) comprises a broad coalition of investors and finance leaders who work to address challenges facing Indigenous Peoples globally and to mainstream Indigenous rights in responsible investment. Action encompasses shareholder advocacy, corporate engagement, and expert resource development in partnership with Indigenous leaders. 

First Peoples Worldwide serves as Secretariat for IIPWG. If you would like to participate or learn more about IIPWG, please email fpw@colorado.edu or join the mailing list.
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