Complaint to the Canadian Ombudsperson for Responsible Enterprise regarding 5HFRQQDLVVDQFH

The granting of such a permit primarily depends on ZKHWKHU WKH FRPSDQ\¶V proposed activities align with the purpose of the community forest, the goals of the Forest Management Plan and the priorities of affected villages. [...] c) The final EIA report containing the impact assessment, list of the interested and affected parties consulted, their comments, and the EMP constitutes the total 42 application for an ECC that is provided to the Commissioner. [...] ³7KH advancement of the oil and gas exploration activities within the Okavango River Basin in Botswana and Namibia is of great concern given the significant risks the expansion of these activities and any eventual exploitation of reserves would pose to the intHUFRQQHFWHG ZDWHU V\VWHP DQG WKH HFRV\VWHP´93 31. [...] In this respect, both the UN Guiding Principles and the OECD Guidelines point to UN instruments that have elaborated on the rights of Indigenous peoples such as the UNDeclaration on the Rights of Indigenous 103 Peoples ³UNDRIP´ 40. [...] In the context of extractive activities, consultation should occur during the planning phase of the project, and development plans should not start before the completion of the process of consultation, as some may produce irreversible damage to the Indigenous peoples 128 concerned.