Indigenous rights and the global race for critical minerals

A new report from the International Work Group for Indigenous Affairs warns that Indigenous Peoples worldwide face mounting pressure from armed conflict, shrinking civic space, and the accelerating race for critical minerals mined largely on their lands or close. In a Q&A with Dialogue Earth, the report's editor Dwayne Mamo explains that once governments classify resources as "critical," extraction becomes a national security matter, letting states bypass safeguards like free, prior and informed consent to grant licenses on Indigenous territories. He also flags rising reprisals against Indigenous leaders who bring their case to bodies like the UN, where their advocacy is recast as anti-state. The report does record 2025 gains, such as land demarcation deals in Aotearoa New Zealand and Brazil or extraction bans in Indian protected areas, as communities keep pressing for a real say in decisions affecting their lands and ecosystems.

Source: adapted from Eco-Business's Q&A, Jun 2026.