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The Impact of the Belt and Road Initiative on the Indigenous Communities in the Middle East Region: The Precarious Foundation of the Right to Consultation

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  30 April 2025

Naimeh Masumy Open the ORCID record for Naimeh Masumy [Opens in a new window]
Naimeh Masumy*
Affiliation:
Maastricht University, Maastricht, Netherlands
*
Email: [email protected]
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Abstract

The ambitious Belt and Road Initiative is believed to boost the economic development of the Middle Eastern countries. ts official framework aligns with the transformative vision of the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), advocating for the meaningful inclusion of indigenous communities in decision-making processes that could significantly impact their environments and livelihoods. Despite the essential spirit of the Belt and Road Initiative to promote inclusiveness and transparency consistent with the principles of the UN Charter, the existing paradigm fails to provide robust and effective protection for the indigenous communities. This gap is further exacerbated with the absence of effective domestic legal mechanisms to prevent extractive projects from engaging in environmentally damaging projects, which in turn, subject the indigenous people living in the naturally oil-and-gas-rich areas in the region to the adverse consequences of an unregulated oil and gas industry. The article contends that the right to consultation within the Belt and Road Initiative framework currently lacks binding obligations for financial enterprises and companies to uphold preferential standards for indigenous populations, rendering it legally ineffective. It concludes by proposing an alternative framework aimed at ensuring the meaningful realization of these rights in a more pragmatic and effective manner.

Keywords

Extractive projectsright to consultationindigenous communitiesOne Belt One Road InitiativeMiddle Eastern region
Type
Research Article
Information
Asian Journal of Law and Society , First View , pp. 1 - 28
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2025. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Asian Journal of Law and Society

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