SIRGE Coalition

26/04/2026

☀️ Today, Indigenous Peoples from across the world have gathered in Santa Marta to define a collective position ahead of the high-level segment of the First Conference on Transitioning Away from Fossil Fuels.

⚡️ As the Autonomous Indigenous Space started in the University of Magdalena, Roselino Guarupe Joropa, Chief Councilor National Indigenous Organization of Colombia (ONIC) shared opening remarks that highlighted the importance of understanding that the energy transition relies on the minerals found on or near Indigenous Peoples' lands.

➡️ Swipe to read his intervention.

24/04/2026

🌎 As the world prepares for the First Conference on Transitioning Away from Fossil Fuels in Santa Marta, Colombia, it’s important to remember that in 2024, over 100 Indigenous leaders from the seven socio-cultural regions of the world met in Geneva to reach a unanimous definition for a Just Transition, as understood by Indigenous Peoples impacted by just transition-related activities.

📄 This document, titled Indigenous Peoples Principles and Protocols for Just Transition, sets out 11 principles that corporate and State actors must adhere to when designing and implementing projects in the name of just, sustainable, or “green” initiatives.

As discussions around what a just transition truly entails continue, this document becomes even more relevant, reminding us that Indigenous Peoples have clear visions, solutions, and understandings that should not only be respected but also lead the conversation.

📢 The SIRGE Coalition will be there to advocate for a just transition that centers Indigenous Peoples’ rights, leadership, and visions for a future rooted in justice.

➡️ If you wish to read the full document, you can find it here: https://bit.ly/just-transition-principles

22/04/2026

🌎 On International Mother Earth Day, we reflect on the importance of rethinking our relationship with the planet, not as a resource to extract from, but as a living system we are part of.

🌱 Indigenous Peoples have long held knowledge systems rooted in reciprocity, balance, and care, offering essential guidance in the face of today’s many challenges.

📚 This curated selection of 5 books by Indigenous authors invites us to reflect and honor our relationship with Mother Earth.

21/04/2026

✊🏽 The 25th session of United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues has begun!

🇺🇳 From 20 April to 1 May 2026, Indigenous Peoples, Member States and stakeholder will gather at UN Headquarters in New York to discuss some of the most pressing issues facing Indigenous Peoples today. This year's theme “Ensuring Indigenous Peoples’ health, including in the context of conflict,” highlights the importance of access to health services, protection of Indigenous knowledge, and inclusive, rights-based approaches to well-being.

As one of the most important global spaces for Indigenous Peoples' advocacy, the Forum plays a key role in shaping international dialogue and influencing policies that directly impact Indigenous communities across the globe.

Scroll through this post to learn about important events happening in the coming days, and if you are attending the Forum, we invite you to join these sessions to learn more!

15/04/2026

🌎 This week, the SIRGE Coalition, together with Tallgrass Institute, is participating in the World Bank’s Spring Meetings to engage in the International Finance Corporation’s (IFC) Sustainability Framework review.

Our engagement with the IFC has a central aim: to highlight that Indigenous Peoples are not merely stakeholders, but rather that they are rights holders. This principle must be reflected not only in the final revised framework, but also throughout the review process itself.

We are therefore calling for a cross-cutting approach that ensures Indigenous Peoples’ rights are meaningfully integrated across all Performance Standards—not limited to PS7 on Indigenous Peoples.

📄 In this context, we have also submitted detailed recommendations to strengthen Performance Standards 7 and 5. To learn more, you can read our joint submission on the SIRGE Coalition website.

🤝 At the same time, we are working alongside civil society allies to help ensure that this review process upholds the principle of non-regression, and that the final framework reflects the latest best practices in due diligence. These must include stronger protections for Indigenous Peoples Living in Isolation and Initial Contact and environmental and human rights defenders.

Throughout the week, we will also be participating in additional events, following key developments, and continuing to advocate for the full respect of Indigenous Peoples’ rights.

14/04/2026

🔴 The International Finance Corporation (IFC), the private sector arm of the World Bank Group, is currently reviewing its Sustainability Framework for the first time in over a decade.

But why does this matter?

IFC standards function as a de facto global benchmark for environmental and social risk management in private sector projects. Commercial banks, investors, and export credit agencies often rely on them as a reference point for what “responsible investment” looks like in sectors such as mining, infrastructure, agribusiness, and energy.

The review of the IFC standards comes at a moment when IFC-financed projects are increasingly intersecting with Indigenous Peoples’ lands and territories, particularly in the context of transition minerals and strategic supply chains.

For that reason, Indigenous-led organizations have delivered a joint submission to the International Finance Corporation with recommendations to specifically strengthen Performance Standard 7 - Indigenous Peoples (PS7) and its interaction with Performance Standard 5 - Land Acquisition and Involuntary Resettlement (PS5).

⚡️ Ultimately, the outcome of this review will influence how private finance interacts with Indigenous Peoples’ territories for years to come.

If you want to learn more, here are some key resources:

🟢 Read the full submission in the SIRGE Coalition website.
🟢 Read Tallgrass Institute’s Primer on Indigenous Peoples and the International Finance Corporation.
🟢 Read the joint letter submitted by Indigenous Peoples’ organizations in the Tallgrass Institute Website.

13/04/2026

🔴 The International Finance Corporation (IFC), the private sector arm of the World Bank Group, is currently reviewing its Sustainability Framework for the first time in over a decade.

But why does this matter?

IFC standards function as a de facto global benchmark for environmental and social risk management in private sector projects. Commercial banks, investors, and export credit agencies often rely on them as a reference point for what “responsible investment” looks like. In other words, the IFC shapes how global private finance approaches environmental and social risks in sectors such as mining, infrastructure, agribusiness, and energy.

The review of the IFC standards comes at a moment when IFC-financed projects are increasingly intersecting with Indigenous Peoples’ lands and territories, particularly in the context of transition minerals and strategic supply chains.

For that reason, Indigenous-led organizations have delivered a joint submission to the International Finance Corporation with recommendations to specifically strengthen Performance Standard 7 - Indigenous Peoples (PS7) and its interaction with Performance Standard 5 - Land Acquisition and Involuntary Resettlement (PS5).

⚡️ Ultimately, the outcome of this review will influence how private finance interacts with Indigenous territories for years to come.

If you want to learn more, here are some key resources:

🟢 Read the full submission here: https://www.sirgecoalition.org/statements/indigenous-organizations-submit-recommendations-to-strengthen-ifc-performance-standards
🟢 Read Tallgrass Institute's Primer on Indigenous Peoples and the International Finance Corporation here: https://www.tallgrassinstitute.org/articles/indigenous-peoples-and-the-international-finance-corporation-ifc
🟢 Read the joint letter submitted by Indigenous Peoples’ organizations, including Tallgrass Institute and the SIRGE Coalition, to the IFC:https://static1.squarespace.com/static/67228f0f7192a401a75ff94a/t/69cea469e58e1c519e2683a4/1775150185962/IFC_letter_with_header_logos_rev.pdf

Indigenous-led organizations today delivered a joint submission to the International Finance Corporation (IFC) with recommendations to strengthen Performance Standard 7 - Indigenous Peoples (PS7) and its interaction with Performance Standard 5 - Land Acquisition and Involuntary Resettlement (PS

07/04/2026

Today, April 7th, Indigenous Selkup defender and rights advocate Daria Egereva will turn 49. She will spend her birthday in a Russian jail cell.

Would you like to send her a birthday letter?

We invite you to send a message of solidarity to Daria, which will be translated into Russian and delivered to her in prison. Your words matter: letters will remind her that she is seen, supported, and not forgotten beyond prison walls.

To reach out to Daria and send your letter, please visit https://www.daria-egereva.org/.

Daria Egereva was detained in Russia on the 17th of December, 2025 and accused of participating in a terrorist organization, after her participation at the UN Climate Change Conference, COP 30 in Belem (Brazil). Indigenous organizations worldwide are calling for her immediate release.

Thank you for supporting Daria on this special day.

06/04/2026

🍃 In recent days, the SIRGE Coalition, Cultural Survival and EARTHWORKS held a webinar to talk about mining waste and the growing risks it poses for Indigenous Peoples and the environment.

Here’s 5 takeaways from a conversation that featured Indigenous Peoples’ lived experiences in Brazil and Indonesia, alongside insights from expert researchers in the field of mining tailings.

➡️ Comment WEBINAR to receive the link to the full webinar.

25/03/2026

🌿 Last week, the SIRGE Coalition, Survival and co-hosted a webinar to discuss the impacts of mining waste on Indigenous Peoples and the environment.

During this insightful conversation, we had the chance to hear the perspective of Cleonice Pankararú, a practitioner, and advocate of traditional Indigenous medicine from the Pankararú People in Brazil's Jequitinhonha Valley 🇧🇷.

Her testimonial portrayed the ways in which lithium mining is currently harming her people's territory, rivers, forests, mountains, supposedly in the name of climate action. Cleonice's lived experiences remind us of the very real risk that the world could be swapping the climate crisis caused by fossil fuels for a different environmental crisis caused by intensive mining.

🎥 If you wish to watch Cleonice's full testimonial and story, you can now watch the full recording of the webinar on the SIRGE Coalition's YouTube Channel.

22/03/2026

💧 On this World Water Day, we must transcend our views of water as a resource.

For centuries, this view has been responsible for the contamination, destruction, and overexploitation of rivers, lakes, and ecosystems across the world. In January 2026, we were particularly reminded of this grim reality, after the United Nations University, through its Institute of Water, Environment and Health announced that the world has reached a stage of “global water bankruptcy”. This has been explained as an emerging phenomenon in which, in many regions, there is a persistent shortage of water whereby water systems can no longer realistically return to their historical baselines.

In the words of Kaveh Madani, Director of the UN University Institute for Water, Environment and Health, “for much of the world, ‘normal’ is gone”.

Furthermore, this burden of water shortage falls disproportionately on smallholder farmers, Indigenous Peoples, low-income urban residents and women and youth, while the benefits of overuse often accrued to more powerful actors. This situation is only set to be further complicated by the heavy use of water for increased mineral extraction and the growing demand for Artificial Intelligence.

Today, let us remember that water is not something to own but something to protect and honor.

21/03/2026

On this International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, we reflect on how racism and colonial power structures continue to shape the energy transition and impact Indigenous Peoples' rights.

Today, we must acknowledge that as long as racism continues to be present in the energy transition, humanity risks reproducing the same patterns of extractivism and exploitation that have led the world to its current state.