Redefining Green: Outcomes and Reflections from the Summit on Indigenous Rights and the Green Economy

Written on 20 June 2025. Posted in News

By Rodion Sulyandziga for Debates Indígenas

On October 8-10, 2024, in Geneva, Switzerland, Indigenous delegations from all seven socio-cultural regions came together to address a fundamental question: How do we ensure the green economy does not become yet another chapter of exploitation but instead a turning point for justice? The summit went beyond voicing concerns—it focused on action, strategy and collective power. Indigenous leaders, activists and allies worked to shape a vision for a just transition that recognizes Indigenous rights, ensures meaningful participation, and confronts the economic structures driving land dispossession and resource extraction. This article presents the key outcomes of the Just Transition and Indigenous Peoples Summit—what was achieved, what remains ahead, and why this moment marks a critical shift in the global conversation.

The global transition to a green economy is accelerating, driven by the urgent need to reduce carbon emissions and combat climate change. However, this transition is not occurring in a vacuum; it has profound implications for Indigenous Peoples whose lands and livelihoods are increasingly targeted for resource extraction and renewable energy projects. Renewable energy, electric vehicles, and “green” mining are being promoted as solutions to the climate crisis. But if history repeats itself, these industries will expand at the expense of Indigenous lands, rights, and sovereignty.

Indigenous voices have often been excluded from high-level negotiations that determine how resources are extracted and who benefits from them. For the industrial modern world, the green economy is a golden opportunity; for Indigenous Peoples, it is yet another existential threat wrapped in sustainability slogans.

The Just Transition and Indigenous Peoples Summit was a response to these challenges. This Summit marked a historic milestone as the first Indigenous-led gathering focused on reshaping the green economy. For the first time, Indigenous Peoples came together to set the agenda, define priorities, draw lines, and engage directly with global stakeholders on their own terms. Accordingly, they entered the discussion as recognized partners and rights-holders.

The Moment of Truth: Why this Summit was Critical

The concept of a Just Transition, broadly defined, aims to ensure that the shift away from fossil fuels does not exacerbate social inequalities. Yet, for Indigenous communities, the reality is that the green transition often mirrors past injustices. The mining of lithium, nickel, and cobalt—key materials for battery production—has led to land dispossession, environmental degradation, and the violation of Indigenous rights, as illustrated by the cases of Numu/Nuwu (Northern Paiute) and Newe (Western Shoshone) Indigenous Peoples in the United States, the Lickan Antay People in Chile, and the Indigenous village of Ust-Avam on the Taimyr Peninsula in the Russian Arctic.

Renewable energy infrastructure, including large-scale solar and wind farms, has been developed on Indigenous territories without adequate consultation or consent. The Sámi People’s struggle against wind farms has been emblematic in this respect.

The Summit became a defining moment—a test of whether the green economy can break from the past patterns or will be yet another expansion to re-discovered Indigenous lands. It marked a critical turning pointby shifting the conversation from one of recognition to one of concrete demands. Indigenous Peoples articulated a clear position: any transition that disregards Indigenous rights cannot be considered just.  This position is supported by international legal frameworks, including the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), which enshrines the principle of Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC) as a legal and ethical obligation.

The Summit: Key Milestones

The Summit was held over three days, and the work was organized as follows:

• Day 1: Setting the Stage – Representatives from seven regions outlined the current state of the green transition and its impacts on Indigenous Peoples. The discussions made it clear: without Indigenous leadership, the transition risks repeating the same extractive patterns of the past.
• Day 2: Solutions – Delegates shared models, case studies, and strategies for community resilience, strengthening Indigenous networks, and defining key demands for a Just Transition. The focus was not just on resistance but on building viable alternatives rooted in Indigenous governance and knowledge.
• Day 3: Global Connections – The summit culminated in high-level engagements with coalitions, UN agencies, and other global actors, ensuring Indigenous voices are embedded in decision-making spaces. Approval of the Outcome Document. The final discussions underscored the importance of securing a permanent spot for Indigenous Peoples in global decision-making on the green economy.

Summit Goals and Achievements

The Summit set out three core objectives. First, it aimed to consolidate the Indigenous movement on Just transition – a strong, unified network that spans continentsandstrengthens both national and international alliances. The second objective was to providea venue for direct engagement between Indigenous Peoples, global institutions, and major actors shaping the green economy, including: the Initiative for Responsible Mining Assurance (IRMA), the Global Battery Alliance and key corporate players,  the World Economic Forum, UN agencies, and international human rights and environmental coalitions. Finally, the Summit aimed to articulate a policy framework that centers Indigenous governance and consent in all transition-related projects.

These objectives were met with notable success through dialogues with the WEF, IRMA, the Global Battery Alliance, and UN bodies. These debates signaled a shift from superficial engagement to substantive discussions. While these discussions remain ongoing, the Summit established an essential precedent: Indigenous Peoples must not only be consulted, but fully engaged into decision-making processes at all levels.

A central argument of the Summit was that the green economy, as currently structured, does not inherently resolve the systemic issues of resource extraction. While it aims to reduce reliance on fossil fuels, it still operates within a profit-driven paradigm that prioritizes resource extraction over environmental sustainability and social equity. The contradiction is apparent: a transition intended to mitigate environmental harm is, in many cases, reproducing it.

The summit’s discussions highlighted case studies where Indigenous communities have successfully resisted exploitative projects while promoting alternative models of development. For instance, Indigenous-owned renewable energy initiatives or projects developed in collaboration with Indigenous leaders, have provided viable models for responsible extraction. These examples underscore that the green transition is not inherently exploitative but that its current trajectory is deeply flawed.

A Seat at the Table and Outcome Document

The Summit was driven by a clear intention – to ensure that Indigenous Peoples not only secure a seat at the table but play a leading role in shaping the Just Transition. This requires moving beyond mere consultation toward genuine leadership, where Indigenous knowledge and rights serve as foundational pillars in the green economy’s future.

A major achievement of the Summit was the adoption of an Outcome Document: Principles and Protocols — Just Transition Indigenous Summit, which outlines key principles and policy recommendations that – if implemented – could reshape the structure of the emerging green economy. These principles and recommendations were published on the Summit website, and among them, we can highlight:

Legal enforcement of FPIC: Existing mechanisms for obtaining Indigenous consent are often circumvented or weakened through corporate and governmental loopholes. The document calls for binding legal frameworks that make FPIC a prerequisite for all extractive and energy projects affecting Indigenous lands and territories;

Indigenous-led governance models: Rather than treating Indigenous participation as a procedural formality, the document advocates for Indigenous governance structures to be embedded within regulatory and decision-making frameworks;

Economic equity in resource projects: The document rejects the dominant economic model in which Indigenous communities bear the environmental and social costs of extraction while receiving minimal economic benefits. Instead, it proposes revenue-sharing mechanisms and direct Indigenous ownership of energy and mining projects;

Recognition of Indigenous knowledge systems: The green transition must integrate Indigenous knowledge into climate adaptation and sustainability policies.

Moving Forward: Institutional Accountability and Indigenous Leadership

The Summit was not a conclusion, but a strategic intervention in an ongoing struggle. It served as a pivotal moment to realign priorities and forge new pathways for progress while acknowledging that sustained effort would be required. Key action points moving forward include:

• Strengthening Indigenous legal strategies: Indigenous Peoples will pursue stronger legal frameworks at national and international levels.
• Expanding Indigenous economic models: Community-led renewable energy projects and ethical resource governance initiatives will be prioritized to demonstrate alternatives to extractive practices. These models emphasize collective ownership, sustainable resource management, and long-term community benefits.
• Ensuring institutional accountability: Future engagement with global institutions will focus on holding actors accountable for their commitments to Indigenous rights. This includes advocating for compliance mechanisms that enforce ethical standards in the mining and energy sectors.

Conclusion: A Transition Without Justice is Not Sustainable

The Summit made one fact unmistakably clear: a just transition cannot be defined solely by environmental metrics; it must be evaluated in terms of social and political justice. A green economy that perpetuates land dispossession, weakens Indigenous sovereignty and prioritizes profit over rights is not a true transition—it is merely a continuation of existing power structures under a new name.

As the global community moves forward, there is an urgent need to shift from superficial commitments to enforceable and bold policies. The just transition cannot be reduced to a mere adjustment of energy systems; it must be a structural transformation that confronts and corrects the historical and ongoing injustices faced by Indigenous Peoples.

The Just Transition and Indigenous Peoples Summit was a step toward this goal, but its success will ultimately be measured by the extent to which global institutions and governments are willing to rebalance control and recognize Indigenous leadership. Without this shift, the promise of a green future will remain fundamentally compromised. The path forward depends on what we do next. And thanks to the Summit, we are ready.

For more information about the Summit on Indigenous Rights and the Green Economy, visit: www.indigenoussummit.org

Rodion Sulyandziga is an indigenous Udege leader from Eastern Siberia (Russia). He is currently Chair of the Summit and the Indigenous Peoples’ Global Coordinating Committee (IPGCC). Since 2000, he has served as Director of the Center for Support of Indigenous Peoples of the North/Russian Indigenous Training Center (CSIPN/RITC).

Tags: Indigenous Debates