ABSTRACT
Berta Cáceres co-founded the Council of Indigenous and Popular Organizations of Honduras (COPINH) in 1993 and was its General Commissioner at the time of her murder (COPINH, 2016). Her story is emblematic of a global human rights crisis for Indigenous peoples that cries out for justice and significant change. Every day, across the globe, Indigenous peoples face murder and other human rights perils associated with business within Indigenous territories, reservations, and traditional lands. Burger (2014) writes,
It is not just that human rights abuses occur. The victims of these abuses, including many Indigenous people, are also denied justice or redress. This chapter touches upon these rather complex concerns in the context of what might be done under the United Nations Global Compact and its Business Reference Guide to the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (BRG). This is not to suggest that these initiatives are a perfect solution. However, it is important for businesspeople to understand what Indigenous peoples’ rights are and what is happening, why the remedies Indigenous peoples possess are inadequate, what the responsibility of business is vis-à-vis these rights, and how responsible business and management may contribute to a way forward for Indigenous peoples.
