Indigenous Peoples

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Sharing Development with Indigenous Peoples
Updated: 16 June 2008

Indigenous peoples (IP) are groups with social or cultural identities distinct from that of the dominant or mainstream society. They also exhibit other unique defining characteristics. IP are susceptible to specific vulnerabilities which is why ADB takes its role in safeguarding IP and their ways of living very seriously.

ADB's Policy on Indigenous Peoples was formulated in consultation with its developing member countries (DMCs) and their IP communities in 1998. The policy was incorporated into the ADB Operations Manual in 2004 to ensure that IP benefit from ADB's development activities. The Operations Manual was further revised in September 2006 (OM Section F3/OP [ PDF: 45kb | 12 pages ]) in consideration of the new disclosure requirements of the recently approved Public Communication Policy.

The policy ensures that all ADB interventions affecting IP are:

• consistent with their needs and aspirations
• compatible in substance and structure with their culture and social and economic institutions
• conceived, planned, and implemented with their informed participation
• equitable in terms of development efforts and impact, and
• not imposing the negative effects of development without appropriate and acceptable compensation.