Norilsk Nickel declares its commitment to FPIC

In his speech during the presentation of the results achieved by Norilsk Nickel in the field of sustainable development, Vasily Zakharov, Chief Manager of Federal and Regional Programs, noted that the company recognizes the principle of free prior informed consent (FPIC) of indigenous peoples and that this principle is spelled out in its policy and it is putting it into practice.
"We became the first company in Russia to receive FPIC for the resettlement of the village of Tukhard in the Arctic. Now about 700 people permanently live there, mostly belonging to the indigenous people of the Nenets," he said, noting that when clarifying the sanitary protection zones, it turned out that living in this territory was unsafe from the point of view of Russian legislation. It took about five months to conduct these negotiations with the population, he said further, saying that "at the same time, leading international experts were invited so that, on the one hand, they could fix that our process and how we organize FPIC complies with all international requirements, and on the other hand, that they advise indigenous peoples in that part of the rights and opportunities that this procedure gives them."
According to Zakharov, Norilsk Nickel confirmed its adherence to the FPIC procedure and principle also on the Kolmozerskoye lithium deposit in the Murmansk region.

Vladimir Malakhov, Rough&Polished