Indigenous peoples and the oil and gas industry: Context, issues and emerging good practice

In 2008, the IPIECA's Social Responsibility Working Group (SRWG) established a task force to examine Indigenous peoples issues relating to the oil and gas sector. The objectives of the task force were to focus on these issues at an industry level and to share lessons from the various interactions that member companies have with Indigenous groups. This issues review, Indigenous peoples and the oil and gas industry: Context, issues and emerging good practice was commissioned by the task force to provide a summary of the policy and legal context, and an overview of key issues and emerging good practices for the oil and gas industry’s interface with Indigenous peoples. As such, it is intended to be a reference tool for companies seeking an overview of the issues they may face when operating in areas where Indigenous peoples live, or which they customarily use, and to provide an understanding of trends in company interactions with Indigenous peoples. It is not intended to be an industry standard or to provide detailed guidelines for companies. The document is organised along the following lines:

• The introduction outlines the rights of Indigenous peoples and some of the reasons why these
  warrant special consideration by oil and gas companies.
• The next section provides an overview of Indigenous peoples and the policy and regulatory context relevant to the sector’s interaction with them.
• The key issues: engagement, impacts and opportunities section provides a summary of some of the issues for oil and gas companies to specifically consider when operating in areas used or occupied by indigenous peoples, set around the three themes of consultation and engagement, key issues to manage, and benefits sharing.
• The summary of emerging good practice provides a summary of good practice considerations that have emerged from oil and gas companies’ interactions with indigenous peoples.