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AIPNEE supports the Bunong People of Cambodia: Oppose the Lower Sesan 2 Hydropower Dam!
Kbal Romeas is now in the verge of being submerged with the dam’s operation set to begin in 25 Sept. 2017.
IPMSDL Solidarity Statement to the Higaonon Peoples of the Philippines
The Higaonon people’s plight against militarization of their community.
Land Rights Now!
Our GOAL is to work hand in hand with all indigenous brothers and sisters across the globe, in collaboration with other sectors, groups and advocates to secure the collective land rights of more than 370 million indigenous peoples around the world.
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NEWS & FEATURES
AIPNEE supports the Bunong People of Cambodia: Oppose the Lower Sesan 2 Hydropower Dam!
Kbal Romeas is now in the verge of being submerged with the dam’s operation set to begin in 25 Sept. 2017.
IPMSDL Solidarity Statement to the Higaonon Peoples of the Philippines
The Higaonon people’s plight against militarization of their community.
Land Rights Now!
Our GOAL is to work hand in hand with all indigenous brothers and sisters across the globe, in collaboration with other sectors, groups and advocates to secure the collective land rights of more than 370 million indigenous peoples around the world.
Debunk lies, amplify facts.
OPINION
AIPNEE supports the Bunong People of Cambodia: Oppose the Lower Sesan 2 Hydropower Dam!
Kbal Romeas is now in the verge of being submerged with the dam’s operation set to begin in 25 Sept. 2017.
IPMSDL Solidarity Statement to the Higaonon Peoples of the Philippines
The Higaonon people’s plight against militarization of their community.
Land Rights Now!
Our GOAL is to work hand in hand with all indigenous brothers and sisters across the globe, in collaboration with other sectors, groups and advocates to secure the collective land rights of more than 370 million indigenous peoples around the world.
[Issue Brief] Philippines: The Struggle Against APSA 103
Indigenous Peoples in Itogon, Benguet – particularly the Ibaloi, Kankanaey, and Kalanguya – are intensifying their resistance against the proposed expansion of gold and silver mining Itogon-Suyoc Resources, Inc. through the Application for Production Sharing Agreement (APSA) 103. The project covers approximately 581 hectares across the barangays of Ampucao, Poblacion, and Virac, including residential areas, water sources, schools, churches, and other essential community infrastructure. Communities warn that the project poses serious threats to ancestral lands, livelihoods, and the fragile mountain environment on which they depend.
The proposed Sangilo Mines Expansion seeks to enlarge underground mining operations to more than 300 hectares and increase production capacity to 1,900 tonnes per day for a potential 34-year period. Residents of Sitio Dalicno, the most directly affected area, fear irreversible environmental damage, heightened disaster risks, and contamination of vital water sources. These concerns are compounded by the already fragile ecological conditions and the long history of large-scale mining impacts in the municipality.
Since 2012, affected communities have consistently opposed APSA 103 through petitions, community resolutions, protest actions, and legal challenges. They assert that the project has advanced despite alleged violations of the Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC) process, including exclusion of directly affected Indigenous communities from consultations and concerns over misrepresentation of community positions. These issues have fueled demands to nullify APSA 103 and related permits.
In response, residents have organized protest caravans, filed appeals, and participated in public hearings to assert their rights to ancestral domain and self-determination. The struggle continues as communities exhaust legal avenues while mobilizing collective action to defend their land, livelihoods, and future generations from what they view as destructive large-scale mining expansion.
Communities call on the Philippine government and project proponents to respect Indigenous Peoples’ rights, ensure genuine FPIC, recognize small-scale mining as a legitimate livelihood, and prioritize people-centered policies that protect both the environment and long-term community wellbeing.
Read the full briefing here.
Nepal cable car case: Calling for a full compliance investigation
The Compliance Advisor Ombudsman (CAO) has released an Assessment Report on the Nepal Pathivara cable car complaint, and transferred it to compliance appraisal. The complaint relates to a $156,746 International Finance Corporation (IFC) advisory project to IME Cable Car, a subsidiary of IME Global – a major conglomerate in Nepal.
The Assessment Report details complainants’ allegations that the IFC-backed project failed to uphold their right to Free, Prior and Informed Consent as Indigenous Peoples, and furthermore, encroach on their cultural heritage in the sacred Mukkumlung mountain. The report also summarises the complainants’ concerns about the impacts of the project on the forest, wildlife, flora and fauna, the lack of project information disclosure, and the violent repression they have faced for opposing the project.
Despite millions of dollars of support from the IFC over the years and still being an active IFC client, IME Group refused to talk to the CAO or participate in the assessment process, meaning the CAO has had to transfer the complaint to compliance appraisal.
“It is essential that our case now proceeds to full compliance investigation,” says Advocate Shankar Limbu of the Lawyers’ Association for Human Rights of Nepalese Indigenous Peoples (LAHURNIP), who is Legal Counsel to the complainants. “This will enable the IFC’s role in the project to be fully explored. We also hope it can help to stop the violence and end the repression of the Indigenous communities who are trying to save our sacred mountain.”
“This project has been shrouded in secrecy,” says Prabindra Shakya of Asia Indigenous Peoples Network on Extractive Industries and Energy (AIPNEE), advisor to the complainants. “It is time for the IFC to disclose publicly all documents relating to its involvement with the IME Group, to show how and why it did not apply its Performance Standards that should have required protection and respect for Indigenous Peoples.”
“A CAO compliance investigation of this case can offer vital lessons for the IFC as it undergoes the review of its Sustainability Framework,” says Kate Geary of Recourse, advisor to the complainants. “How can the IFC improve disclosure, strengthen protection of biodiversity, guarantee Indigenous Peoples’ rights and respect cultural heritage – especially in advisory projects? These are all questions this case can help to answer.”
Indigenous leaders from the Limbu (Yakthung) nation in Nepal filed the complaint to the CAO in August 2025, with the support of their legal counsel LAHURNIP and AIPNEE and Recourse as their advisors. We thank the CAO for its work on the Assessment Report and are now calling for a full compliance investigation. Click here for the full case information on the CAO website.
There are also lessons in this case for the IFC to inform the current review of its Sustainability Framework, on how it applies its standards in advisory projects, and how the institution and its clients engage with Indigenous Peoples in project areas.
Banner Image: Limbu locals stage protest againts the project. Image Courtesy of Mukkumlung Protection and Struggle Committee
[Briefing] Nepal: Pathivara Cable Car Case – IFC Advisory Project Threatens Indigenous Rights
Indigenous Peoples’ organizations from Nepal filed a complaint to the Compliance Advisor Ombudsman (CAO) in August 2025 concerning the Pathivara cable car project in the sacred Mukkumlung mountain area, which is revered by the Indigenous Limbu (Yakthung) people. The project, intended to serve pilgrims to the Pathivara temple, has caused environmental destruction and proceeded without the Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) of affected communities.
Between 2022 and 2024, the International Finance Corporation (IFC) provided advisory support to IME Cable Car, a subsidiary of IME Group, including technical analysis, environmental assessment gap analysis, and investment facilitation.
Communities assert that the project has resulted in the felling of more than 10,000 trees in a sensitive forest ecosystem that is habitat for endangered species such as snow leopards and red pandas, and that it encroaches on the Kanchenjunga Conservation Area.
There have also been intimidation, violent repression, and the presence of armed security forces during protests. The consultation requirements were not met, environmental impact assessments were inadequate, and Indigenous cultural heritage tied to Mukkumlung was ignored.
As of April 2026, the case is in the CAO compliance appraisal stage, with complainants seeking a full investigation, suspension of construction, withdrawal of security forces, and protection of the sacred site.
Download the full briefing here.
