Organized by:

• Business & Human Rights Resource Centre

• Right Energy Partnership with Indigenous Peoples

• Indigenous Peoples’ Rights International

• Zero Tolerance Initiative

• Asia Indigenous Peoples Network on Extractive Industries and Energy

• Lawyers' Association for Human Rights of Nepalese Indigenous Peoples

• Asia Indigenous Peoples Pact

• Indigenous Peoples Human Rights Defenders Network

• The Association of Defenders of Indigenous Peoples of the Archipelago

• Fair Finance Asia

Background

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The global shift to renewable energy (RE) is essential for tackling climate change, yet its current trajectory risks reinforcing inequalities. In Asia, large-scale RE projects and the mining of transition minerals—such as nickel, cobalt, and lithium—are accelerating. While vital for decarbonization, these developments often harm Indigenous Peoples through land dispossession, environmental damage, and the criminalization of defenders.

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Indigenous-led renewable energy initiatives offer a different vision—where energy transition is rights-based, community-driven, and environmentally sound. This session will explore these contrasting realities, examine the human rights implications of the transition, and spotlight pathways for shared prosperity.​

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Key Objectives

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• Expose human rights and environmental impacts of large-scale RE projects and transition mineral extraction.

• Highlight Indigenous-led renewable energy initiatives as viable models for an equitable energy transition.

• Foster multi-stakeholder dialogue on aligning energy transition policies with human rights, sustainability, and Indigenous leadership.

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Guiding Questions

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• How can we ensure the renewable energy transition does not perpetuate human rights violations, especially the rights of Indigenous Peoples?

• What are examples of Indigenous Peoples-led RE initiatives and key lessons from those experiences/initiatives?

• What regulatory and safeguards policy and governance mechanisms can protect communities, especially Indigenous Peoples while meeting global decarbonization targets?

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Format

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• Classic Panel Discussion 

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Session Partners