Project profile
Indigenous Peoples
Indigenous Peoples account for around 5 per cent of the global population, in more than 70 countries across the world.
These communities have a distinct social and cultural identity, often tied to specific areas of land and rivers.
These communities have a distinct social and cultural identity, often tied to specific areas of land and rivers.
Indigenous rights
The rights of Indigenous peoples are recognised by the United Nations.
Indigenous communities' special, spiritual connection to land or waterways must be considered when scoping renewable energy projects including hydropower.
Indigenous communities' special, spiritual connection to land or waterways must be considered when scoping renewable energy projects including hydropower.
Learn more about the rights of Indigenous peoples
Free, Prior and Informed Consent
The Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) consultation process is an essential tool to ensure development which may affect Indigenous Peoples is implemented sustainably.
FPIC provides guidelines on how to effectively engage with Indigenous Peoples in good faith to achieve consent for development. It encourages an open and transparent dialgue with affected communities.
FPIC provides guidelines on how to effectively engage with Indigenous Peoples in good faith to achieve consent for development. It encourages an open and transparent dialgue with affected communities.
Find out more about Free, prior and Informed consent
How-to Guide on Indigenous Peoples
To help hydropower developers and operators protect Indigenous Peoples' rights, the International Hydropower Association (IHA) has published a How-to Guide on Hydropower and Indigenous Peoples.
The guide seeks to provide developers and operators with the necessary guidance to effectively consult and gain consent from Indigenous Peoples in a way which protects their culture, customs and relationship to land and water while also providing community benefits.
The guide seeks to provide developers and operators with the necessary guidance to effectively consult and gain consent from Indigenous Peoples in a way which protects their culture, customs and relationship to land and water while also providing community benefits.
Find out more about the how-to Guide
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Hydropower and Indigenous Peoples
Many hydropower projects across the world have been developed in collaboration with Indigenous communities.
Find out more by reading our case studies which explore how hydropower projects have effectively engaged with Indigenous Peoples to meet good practice in development.
Find out more by reading our case studies which explore how hydropower projects have effectively engaged with Indigenous Peoples to meet good practice in development.
USing FPIC to build trust with Indigenous Communities in Nepal
A new Standard
Read the consultation paper on the development of a global sustainability standard for hydropower.
If adopted, the Hydropower Sustainability Standard would apply a rating, or label, to projects of any size or stage of development.
If adopted, the Hydropower Sustainability Standard would apply a rating, or label, to projects of any size or stage of development.
Planning hydropower systems from a long-term, climate-resilient perspective will protect operations and infrastructure from future climate-related risks.
To support owners, developers, governments and investors to plan, build, upgrade and operate facilities in the face of changing climatic and hydrological conditions, we recently published a Hydropower Sector Climate Resilience Guide.
We also provide training and validation services for the GHG Reservoir (G-res) Tool, which is used to report on the carbon footprint of hydropower projects.
