Whether it’s land development, conservation, or cultural survival, Indigenous peoples are often the last to be consulted, if at all. Yet they’re also the ones with the most at stake. Free, Prior and Informed Consent, or FPIC, is meant to ensure that Indigenous communities have the right to say yes or no to decisions that affect their lands, resources, and ways of life. But how often is that right respected in practice? And what does meaningful consent really look like on the ground? Ahead of International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples, we speak with three individuals working to uphold Indigenous rights through education, culture, and advocacy: Major Kalam Pie, an Orang Asli educator and co-founder of Jungle School Gombak, Sandra Trinata, a Bidayuh artisan and cultural advocate from Serikin, Sarawak, and Gabriel Hii, the co-chair of the Sarawak CSO-SDG Alliance.

Image credit: Fartul Iqwan, Jungle School Gombak, Sandra Trinata