Peru: Vanguard In Indigenous Land Consultation

States and the federal government could take a lesson from Peru, which recently passed a law guaranteeing indigenous communities the right to be consulted about development on their lands. Peru President Ollanta Humala signed the law requiring companies to seek agreement with rural communities for projects that affect communities or ancestral territories. The former president of Peru had blocked a similar law, claiming that it would chill investment. Besides respecting the inherent right of tribes to be consulted regarding their sovereign interests, states, and the federal government should recognize what President Humala rightly observed: consultation laws reduce conflicts between industry and indigenous peoples. Rather than chilling investment, such laws encourage it. Anthony Broadman is a partner at Galanda Broadman PLLC, of Seattle, an American Indian majority-owned law firm.  His practice focuses on company-critical business litigation and representing tribal governments. He can be reached at 206.691.3631 or anthony@galandabroadman.com, or or via galandabroadman.com.