PBI-Guatemala develops four popular education infographics on free, prior and informed consent

The Peace Brigades International-Guatemala Project has posted four popular education infographics on the right to free, prior and informed consent.

The first infographic is posted above, the other three are included at the bottom of this article.

The United Nations has explained, “Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) is a specific right that pertains to indigenous peoples and is recognised in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP).”

The UN further notes:

Free: consent given voluntarily and without coercion, intimidation or manipulation. A process that is self-directed by the community from whom consent is being sought, unencumbered by coercion, expectations or timelines that are externally imposed.

Prior: consent is sought sufficiently in advance of any authorization or commencement of activities.

Informed: nature of the engagement and type of information that should be provided prior to seeking consent and also as part of the ongoing consent process.

Consent: collective decision made by the right holders and reached through a customary decision-making processes of the communities.

In 2018, PBI-Guatemala commented, “The right to territory and the management of natural resources, particularly in the case of indigenous peoples, continued to be one of the main causes of conflict in the country during the year.”

Peace Brigades International accompanies 10 organizations in Guatemala with 10 international volunteers based in Guatemala City.