Tallgrass Institute’s Analysis of CMSI Draft 2 Shows Little Progress on Indigenous Peoples’ Rights
Tallgrass Institute has released the policy paper, Limited Progress on Indigenous Peoples' Rights in Draft 2 of the Consolidated Mining Standard Initiative. This analysis of the final consultation draft of the Consolidated Mining Standard Initiative (CMSI) discusses a persisting low threshold to safeguard Indigenous Peoples’ rights a year after releasing the initial draft. The paper concludes:
The first draft revealed the gaps. The second draft has not closed them. The final text will show whether CMSI is willing to genuinely integrate Indigenous Peoples’ input into its final design and share power, reflecting the good faith engagement Indigenous representatives have maintained, or whether it will continue to speak of responsibility while allowing extraction without consent.
CMSI Draft 2 also raises critical new concerns about governance, accountability, and the very definition of consent. To the latter, the paper says:
If CMSI keeps a weak approach to consent, companies can advance projects over community objections, rebrand that as compliance, and export those minerals into clean‑energy supply chains. That will intensify conflict, delay projects, and deepen harm to cultures and ecosystems. If CMSI requires consent as a condition to operate and embeds Indigenous leadership in governance and assurance, it can prevent harm, improve project design, and give buyers information they can trust.
Related resources: Tallgrass Institute’s analysis of CMSI Draft 1 and CMSI primer article.