At the heart of this year’s session of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues is “free, prior and informed consent.” Quite a mouthful! But what does it really mean? And why does it matter?

What is free, prior, and informed consent?

Indigenous peoples have the right to self-determination, as well as the right to develop priorities and strategies for exercising their right to development – in other words, the right to participate fully and effectively in decision-making processes that affect them.

IFAD has a duty to ensure they can exercise these rights – and that includes ensuring free, prior and informed consent (FPIC) for our grant and loan recipients. Let’s break down each element.