https://www.rbhrforum.com/session/towards-a-rights-respecting-energy-tra...

Overview

Mining has played a critical role in industrialization and economic development. However, Indigenous Peoples whose lands and resources have fueled this development have often been pushed aside and made to bear the social, environmental, and human rights costs of mining. As a result, the mining industry has long carried a negative reputation among Indigenous Peoples due to decades of harmful impacts on their rights, wellbeing, and survival.

Today, the same industry is expanding investments justified by the global shift from fossil fuels to clean and renewable energy to combat climate change. Asia has become a major hub for the extraction and processing of critical minerals such as nickel, lithium, cobalt, copper, and rare earth elements, which are essential for electric vehicle batteries, renewable energy systems, solar panels, wind turbines, electronics, and digital technologies. Countries such as Indonesia, the Philippines, China, India, and Myanmar are rapidly expanding mining projects to meet growing demand. Globally, around 54% of transition mineral projects are located on or near Indigenous Peoples’ lands and territories, placing many Indigenous communities in Asia at the center of the critical minerals boom. Without safeguards, the energy transition risks repeating extractive and unjust practices long associated with traditional mining.

The Human Rights Council in 2024 noted that failing to consider Indigenous rights in the just transition could lead to further injustices, marginalization, and dispossession. Recognizing gaps in effective implementation of rights, the UN Working Group on Business and Human Rights will publish its FPIC Guidance in July 2026. This panel discussion session is therefore timely, offering a platform to explore how FPIC can be practically applied in Asia’s mining sector to ensure a just and rights based energy transition.

The session will provide a global and regional overview of critical minerals, supported by the Transition Tracker, highlight overlaps with Indigenous territories, present case studies from nickel mining in the Philippines and Indonesia, explore advocacy strategies, and conclude with FPIC implementation, Q&A, and reflections.

Why it matters

This event directly links the global energy transition to Indigenous Peoples’ rights. The critical mineral extraction and over half of projects located on or in Indigenous peoples’ land and territories in Asia which repeating historic injustices are high. The session will highlight lived experiences from affected communities, underscores of urgent need for safeguards, and introduces the UN working group’s forthcoming FPIC guidance as a practical tool for states and businesses. By doing so, it ensures that climate solutions advance without sacrificing Indigenous Peoples rights, making the transition truly just and inclusive. 

Key questions

1. What is the current status of critical mineral mining in Asia from the perspective of Indigenous Peoples?

2. How can Indigenous Peoples leverage Transition Minerals Tracker to minimize human rights risks and promote rights respecting mining practices?

3. What advocacy strategies can Indigenous communities, civil society, and policymakers use to strengthen rights protections and accountability in mining projects?

4. How can the UN Working Group’s FPIC Guidance be practically implemented in Asia’s mining sector to ensure a just and rights‑based energy transition?

    

Who should attend?

• Government Representatives

• Business companies/representatives

• Human Rights experts

• Indigenous Peoples’ representatives/organizations

   

What participants will gain

• Participants will gain an overview of Asia’s critical mining landscape through cases and transition trackers. These highlight the social, environmental and human rights impacts of nickel mining on Indigenous communities, connecting the global demand trends with on the ground challenges and human rights impacts.

• Participants will educate and clear guidance on how the UN working group’s forthcoming FPIC guidance can be applied in practice to safeguard Indigenous Rights.

• Practical strategies for advancing Indigenous rights and ensuring accountability in mining activities in regional context to strengthen rights.

• Recognize the sustainable energy transition along shared prosperity preventing repetition of past extractive injustices.