How to Note

The promotion of indigenous peoples’ rights is an integral element in Denmark’s long-standing efforts to promote human rights and free, democratic societies based on the rule of law and equal rights for all. Denmark’s current support to indigenous peoples is based on the Strategy for Danish Support to Indigenous Peoples (2004).However, while remaining relevant as a guiding framework, the operationalisation of the 2004 Strategy needs to be adapted to the new strategic directions for Danish development cooperation. The purpose of the How to Note is to translate the strategic directions into hands-on guidance and inspiration for Denmark’s efforts to ensure that the enabling normative framework for indigenous peoples’ rights leads to real improvements on the ground. Denmark’s position in international negotiations is to promote the UN Declaration on Indigenous Peoples’ Rights and to encourage that consent should be promoted as the objective for consultations with Indigenous Peoples. The principles of Free, Prior and Informed Consent are presented in the Note along with other key questions to address.