Indigenous Peoples

	Table of Contents
p. 2 of 5 BACK | NEXT Policy Issues Project Identification Project Processing Project Implementation Project Monitoring and Evaluation

Project Identification

When does ADB's Policy on Indigenous Peoples apply?

The outcome of the IP screening process determines the applicability of the policy. ADB's Policy on Indigenous Peoples is triggered when ADB-assisted development activities have significant impact on IP communities.

The impacts of ADB's projects on IP will be considered significant if they positively or negatively

• affect their customary rights of use and access to land and natural resources;
• change their socioeconomic status;
• affect their cultural and communal integrity;
• affect their health, education, livelihood, and/or social security status; and/ or
• alter or undermine the recognition of indigenous knowledge.

Does ADB's Policy on Indigenous Peoples apply to IP who have already been mainstreamed into society?

The ADB's Policy on Indigenous Peoples applies to IP who have been assimilated into the mainstream culture but still identify themselves as culturally distinct from the mainstream culture and are vulnerable and disadvantaged.

Would religion trigger ADB's Policy on Indigenous Peoples?

Religion by itself will not trigger ADB's Policy on Indigenous Peoples. However, if the religious identity of a group deprives it from sharing in the benefits of development activities, to that extent, religion becomes a determining factor for the application of ADB's Policy on Indigenous Peoples.

Back Policy Issues	Next Project Processing