News
Global News, Action Items, and Updates from Tallgrass Institute
News of Note 11/7/25: Norway Prioritizes Sami over Wind Farm, Canada Proposes $2.3B Indigenous Cuts, Indigenous Peoples at COP30
Norway rejects wind farm application given impacts to Sami culture, Canada proposes $2.3 billion in cuts to Indigenous services, new report ahead of COP30 exposes industrial threats to Indigenous Peoples in tropical rainforests, and more.
Tallgrass Institute Publishes Report on Renewable Energy Project Siting and Indigenous Peoples
Growing demand for renewable energy requires practices that respect Indigenous Peoples’ rights. The siting phase is an opportunity for investors to move away from business as usual to embrace models that respect Indigenous Peoples’ self-determination and mitigate material risks.
News of Note 10/31/25: Full Protections Needed for 196+ Uncontacted Peoples, Rise of Violence in Nicaragua, Historic Indigenous Biodiversity Meeting
New study by Survival International identified at least 196 uncontacted Indigenous Peoples under threat, Inter-American human rights commission raised alarm on escalating violence in Nicaragua, Indigenous Peoples held first meeting on biodiversity convention Article 8(j), and more.
Takeaways: IIPWG October 2025
Bay Mills Indian Community’s advocacy to protect lands and waters from Enbridge Line 5 threats, Indigenous Peoples’ COP30 priorities, Gwich’in response to re-opening the Arctic Refuge for development, final Consolidated Mining Standard Initiative consultation, and more.
News of Note 10/24/25: Suriname Updates FPIC Protocol, Tribes Call for US to Reinstate CDFI Fund, Record Indigenous Accreditation for COP30
Indigenous Peoples and Surinamese government update FPIC protocol, Tribes call on the US to reinstate CDFI fund and staff after cuts, more than 1000 Indigenous and Afro-descendant accredited for COP30, and more.
Tallgrass Institute’s IRMA Primer and Position on Draft Indigenous Chapter Revisions
Tallgrass Institute has published a primer on the Initiative for Responsible Mining Assurance (IRMA), discussing the Standard’s structure, how its audits work, and key improvements and gaps in proposed revisions to the Standard's chapter about Indigenous Peoples and FPIC.
News of Note 10/17/25: Typhoon Devastates Alaska Villages, Peru Considers Stripping Indigenous Protections, Manifest Destiny in US Law
Typhoon Halong hits Alaska Indigenous villages with more than 1000 people without shelter, Peru considers bills that trade Indigenous Peoples protections for oil and gas development, a look at Indigenous impacts from Manifest Destiny in US Law, and more.
News of Note 10/10/25: Grave Situation for Indigenous Peoples in Russia, Heineken Plant Taps Mayan Water, Indigenous Clean-up of Guatemala Pollution
UN reports show escalating human rights abuses and erasure of Indigenous Peoples in Russia, Maya people in Yucatán concerned by major Heineken plant water use, Indigenous Guatemalans cleaned up Lake Atitlán and now protest further state-sanctioned harm, and more.
News of Note 10/3/25: India Mega-Dam’s Indigenous Impacts, No Consent for Alaska Graphite Mine, Bank Slams Agribusiness in Ecuador
Tribes fear displacement from India mega dam set to counter upstream Chinese project, no Indigenous consent for impacts from Alaska Graphite One mine, Inter-American Development Bank reports Indigenous violations by Ecuadorian agribusiness giant, and more.
News of Note 9/26/25: No Indigenous Consultation in Ecuador’s Oil Expansion, Global Tenure Rights Funding Down, Half of Tribal Funding at Risk in US
Amazon Indigenous Peoples denounce Ecuador’s $47B oil expansion plan citing lack of consultation, funding down 23% over four years for international tenure rights, half of $1.2B funds for Northeast Tribes in US may be cut, and more.
Takeaways: IIPWG September 2025
Primer on Tribal Benefit Agreements in the U.S., Keewaywin Fund discussion, check-in on proposed updates to the Initiative for Responsible Mining Assurance, and more.
Tallgrass Institute - Fall 2025 Newsletter
Over the last quarter, we connected Indigenous leaders to investors – through direct engagements, discussions around emerging issues for Tribes in the U.S., and publications – to build investor knowledge and action towards integration of Indigenous priorities even as we see constriction of investor leverage in the U.S. Our work is responsive to the generational view that Indigenous Peoples carry, and our role in this tense geopolitical moment is to keep the high-water mark for Indigenous Peoples and FPIC.
News of Note 9/19/25: Violence Against Land Defenders, Norway Divests from Mining Threats, ‘Brazil is Indigenous Land’
New report documents 146 cases of homicides and kidnappings of land defenders in 2024, Norway’s $1.6 trillion pension fund divests from French mining giant over environmental and Indigenous rights risk, Cultural Survival Quarterly's Brazil issue ahead of COP30, and more.
News of Note 9/12/25: TikTok Data Center Impacts, UN Urges San Protections, Study Shows Health Benefits from Indigenous Land Protection
Anacé filed formal complaint about water and subsistence impacts from major TikTok data center in Brazil, UN rapporteur urged protection for evicted San people, new study shows rainforest preservation on Indigenous lands protects from disease, and more.
News of Note 9/5/25: Peru Rejects Uncontacted Tribes Protection, Alaska Natives Fight to Manage Yukon River, Khasis Forest-based Livelihoods Strained
Peru rejects long-stalled reserve proposal to protect Indigenous Peoples living in voluntary isolation, Alaska Natives fight for right to manage Yukon River amidst salmon depletion, Khasis look for leverage as agroforestry strained by erratic rainfall in Bangladesh, and more.
