Universally adopted by the UN General Assembly in 2007, the UN Declaration on the rights of indigenous peoples (UNDRIP) provides the minimal standard for engaging with indigenous peoples.
Through Articles 42 of the UNDRIP, 'the United Nations, its bodies, including the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, and specialized agencies, including at the country level, and States shall promote respect for and full application of the provisions of this Declaration and follow up the effectiveness of this Declaration'
In response to this demand, the different UN bodies, and specialized agencies have developed indigenous peoples' policies:
- UNESCO Policy on Engaging with Indigenous Peoples
- FAO Policy on indigenous and tribal peoples
- IFAD Engagement with indigenous peoples
- UNDP and indigenous peoples: a policy of engagement
- UNEP and indigenous peoples: a partnership in caring for the environment policy guidance
- World Bank indigenous peoples' policy
Other relevant UN standard-setting instruments include:
- Article 8j of the Convention on Biological Diversity
- UNREDD Guidelines on Stakeholder Engagement in REDD+ Readiness, With a Focus on the Participation of Indigenous Peoples and Other Forest-Dependent Communities
- UN-HABITAT Housing Indigenous Peoples in Cities: Urban Policy Guides for Indigenous Peoples
In regards to free, prior, informed consent, the following UN documents are relevant: