WASHINGTON, May 23 (UPI) -- The Washington-based World Bank says it intends to consult more closely with indigenous peoples in the developing world about proposed aid.
The new emphasis on "informed consultation" follows extensive criticism that the bank's initiatives in the developing world end up hurting indigenous peoples, the BBC reported Monday.
Some 250 million indigenous people live in more than 70 countries around the world.
A bank spokesman said it will finance programs "only where free, prior and informed consultation results in broad community support for the project by the affected indigenous peoples."
The World Bank also called for closer agreements between governments and indigenous communities concerning the commercial use of natural resources, such as minerals, forests, water, as well as hunting or fishing grounds.
