Dhawura Ngilan Business & Investor Initiative

The Dhawura Ngilan Business and Investor Initiative brings together First Nations, business & investor communities to create a shared vision for strengthening Australia’s Aboriginal heritage laws and standards for the private sector that uphold the human rights of First Peoples, in line with international agreements and community expectations.

Dhawura Ngilan (Remembering Country) is a vision that embodies the long-held aspirations of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people for their heritage. It aims to collectively work with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to identify, protect, conserve, present and transmit for future generations the unique heritage of Australia.

Led by the First Nations Heritage Protection Alliance, in partnership with Responsible Investment Association Australasia and the UN Global Compact Network Australia, the Initiative acknowledges that protecting cultural heritage is the responsibility of all Australians, inclusive of investor and business communities.

The Initiative aims to build partnerships and deliver resources to enable investors and business to engage with First Nations Peoples more respectfully and effectively in a way that upholds the human rights of First Peoples to self-determination and free, prior and informed consent (FPIC).

This initiative is working to adapt the Dhawura Ngilan vision and best practice standards to provide practical guidance to businesses and investors on how to ensure that their actions and policies contribute to the protection of First Nations’ cultural heritage protection instead of its destruction.

It will complement legislative reform efforts by creating broader acceptance within the private sector for strengthened protections on the right to self-determination and free, prior and informed consent.

Progress

Governance

Sponsors