Mining is an activity that is directly connected to the territory where mineral resources are available. For Vale, it is essential that operations are carried out with full respect for the rights of communities — including Indigenous Peoples and Traditional Communities who live in or use these territories for their traditional practices.
Vale’s approach is guided by the management of risks and impacts of its activities on these territories and by respect for cultural diversity and the rights of these communities, recognizing their unique relationship with the land, which encompasses not only physical and socioeconomic aspects but also cultural and spiritual dimensions.
The relationship with these communities focuses on building and maintaining trust, supporting autonomy and resilience, and contributing to mutual benefits and the promotion of ethnodevelopment within these communities.
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It is important to highlight that Vale does not hold mining rights on Indigenous Lands in Brazil. In 2021, the company relinquished all such rights and also withdrew its applications for exploration permits and mining concessions, including those in Indigenous Lands that had not yet been officially recognized. This decision was based on the understanding that mining in these territories can only take place with the Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC) of the Indigenous peoples themselves and under legislation that properly regulates such activity.
Currently, Vale operates in traditional territories in countries where there is applicable legislation, such as Canada, where the company upholds the same commitments regarding the rights of Indigenous Peoples.
On the Indigenous agenda, in 2022, Vale revised its strategy for engaging with these communities. The new approach is based on managing operational risks and impacts, contributing to institutional strengthening, and fostering value sharing and partnerships. It is aligned with Vale’s overarching business strategy and the company’s Social Ambition, which includes a specific goal: by 2030, to support all Indigenous Peoples living near Vale’s operations in developing and implementing their own plans to pursue the rights outlined in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP).
Our strategy also supports the journey toward Truth and Reconciliation in Canada, contributing to efforts to strengthen relationships with Indigenous Peoples by recognizing and respecting their rights. In this context, Vale’s engagement with these communities aims to establish long-term agreements focused on building and maintaining trust and reinforcing partnerships.
Where we are present
Vale interacts with 28 different Indigenous Peoples: 13 in Brazil (of which 2 are part of the Brumadinho/MG reparation process), 11 in Canada, and 4 in the Andes (Chile and Peru).
We also interact with 91 Traditional Communities, 90 of them in Brazil and 1 in Chile. These communities are highly diverse, and their definitions vary. In identifying and characterizing these communities, Vale applies prevailing legislation and international standards, even though they may often conflict with each other. The criteria we use include ethnic, social, and cultural diversity, specific rights, and these communities’ relationship with their territories and natural resources. Vale’s scope of interaction extends, for example, to Quilombolas, Gypsies, coconut breakers, riverside communities and artisanal fishermen in the states of Pará, Maranhão, Minas Gerais, Rio de Janeiro, and Espírito Santo.
Indigenous Peoples relationship in Brazil
In Pará:
Kayapó
- Under implementation: programs specified in the Basic Environmental Plan of the Indigenous Component (PBA-CI) of the Onça Puma mining.
Xikrin do Cateté
- Under implementation: programs specified in the Basic Environmental Plan of the Indigenous Component (PBA-CI) of the Onça Puma mining, compliance with environmental requirements related to the Salobo mining. Long-term agreement comprising initiatives in various areas.
Gavião (Parkatêjê, Kyikatêjê, and Akrãtikatêjê)
- Under implementation: programs specified in the Basic Environmental Plan of the Estrada de Ferro Carajás (EFC) railway. Long-term agreement comprising initiatives in various areas.
In Maranhão:
Awá, Guajajara and Ka'apor
- Under implementation: programs specified in the Basic Environmental Plan of the Estrada de Ferro Carajás (EFC) railway. Initiatives in various areas are also being implemented under a long-term agreement.
In Minas Gerais:
Krenak
- Under implementation: Technical Cooperation Agreement to establish support lines aimed at encouraging the diversification of their productive activities and access to and permanence in the university.
Pataxó and Pataxó Hã Hã Hãe
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Under implementation: reparation actions due to the dam collapse in Brumadinho.
Two agreements were signed in 2022 to compensate the Indigenous people of the Katurãma Village and the group led by Dona Eline Pataxó. In 2023, another comprehensive compensation agreement was reached with the Pataxó and Pataxó Hã-Hã-Hãe peoples from the Tronco Gervasio and Antônia communities.
In Espírito Santo:
Tupiniquim and Guarani
- Under implementation: programs specified in the Basic Environmental Plan of the Estrada de Ferro Vitória-Minas (EFVM) railway.
In Canada, Vale, through Vale Base Metals, engages with the following Indigenous Peoples:
- Ontario: Atikameksheng Anishnawbek First Nation, Sagamok Anishnawbek First Nation, Wahnapitae First Nation, Whitefish River First Nation, Metis Nation of Ontario (Regions 1, 5, 9), Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation.
- Manitoba/Thompson: Nisichawayasihk Cree Nation (NCN), Tataskwayak Cree Nation (TCN), Manitoba Métis Federation.
- Newfoundland & Labrador: Innu Nation and Nunatsiavut Government
90 Traditional Communities in Brazil and 1 in Chile
- 34 Quilombola communities in the states of Maranhão, Minas Gerais, Espírito Santo, and Rio de Janeiro;
- 13 groups of Artisanal Fishermen in the states of Pará and Rio de Janeiro;
- 1 Gipsy community (Calon de Santa Bárbara) in Minas Gerais (our relationship with this community began after the dam collapse in Brumadinho);
- 13 groups of coconut breakers in the state of Maranhão.
- 1 riverside community in Maranhão.
- 6 Geraizeiras communities in Minas Gerais
- 22 Peoples and Communities of Ancestral Religious Tradition of African Origin (PCTRAMA) in Rio de Janeiro and Minas Gerais.
Our Approach
These principles and international standards serve as a basis for normative guidelines established for Vale personnel who are responsible for engagement with Indigenous and Traditional Communities. They include a requirement to respect the unique characteristics and social and political organization of each community, and implement participatory processes that, to the extent possible, prioritize gender and generational equity and uphold the principles of Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC).
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Our key guidelines are as follows:
- Build relationships based on trust, respect, and promoting Indigenous rights to culture, heritage, and Indigenous ways of life;
- Recognize tenure rights to land and water, as well as the intangible value that these natural resources hold for Indigenous Peoples;
- Promote and document consultation and free, prior, and informed consent processes related to Vale’s activities and community interests;
- Support ethnodevelopment among these populations;
- Effectively manage potential risks and impacts from Vale’s activities on Indigenous Lands;
- Respect and foster governance mechanisms that accommodate the unique social organization of each community and, to the extent possible, ensure gender and generational representation to enable the effective participation of these populations;
- Inform Indigenous Peoples and Traditional Communities about Vale’s channels for feedback, and respond to feedback received within the timeframes established in current regulations or agreements with communities.
Integration into internal processes
In addition to risk and impact management procedures, a range of programs, initiatives, and voluntary agreements are also established to contribute to the ethnodevelopment of these communities.
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Communities also have access to other available channels as indicated in the Contact Us section of our website.
Other significant areas of focus include training for employees and suppliers who interact with these communities in the areas where we have activities, and efforts to ensure community safety, which includes developing Integrated Community Safety Plans designed to prevent risks and document any incidents that need to be investigated and addressed in order to minimize impacts on stakeholders. (read more about our community safety initiatives).
Commitments and Goals
With the revision of its Indigenous Peoples engagement strategy in 2022 and its commitment to implementing the Social Ambition to support Indigenous rights — which aims to “Support all Indigenous communities neighboring Vale’s operations in developing and implementing their plans to pursue the rights outlined in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP)” — Vale is committed to supporting Structuring Actions (Consultation Protocols, Territorial and Environmental Management Plans – PGTA, and/or Life Plans) for 11 Indigenous Peoples in Brazil. As part of this initiative, an extension course on Indigenous rights is offered in advance, taught by Indigenous experts, Indigenous lawyers, and leaders from the Indigenous movement with lived experience and expertise on the subject. In Canada, Vale’s engagement with nine Indigenous Peoples focuses on benefit sharing.
In Brazil, Vale began implementing this commitment with the Kayapó People by contributing to the development of their Consultation Protocol, which was autonomously led by the Indigenous association Floresta Protegida and completed in 2024. The Guajajara Peoples, from the Caru and Rio Pindaré Indigenous Lands, and the Ka’apor People, from the Alto Turiaçu Indigenous Land in Maranhão, were also engaged and participated in training sessions on Indigenous Peoples’ rights in 2023 and 2024. At the request of the community, in 2025, a course on Environmental Management, Climate Change, and Political Action was launched, developed and delivered by the Latin American Faculty of Social Sciences (Flacso), as part of the PGTA implementation for the Caru and Rio Pindaré Indigenous Lands. In 2024, the Ka’apor People began developing their Life Plan, which is expected to be completed in the second half of 2025.
Also in 2024, the Tupiniquim People from the Comboios Indigenous Land in Espírito Santo were engaged and participated in an extension course on Indigenous Rights, certified by Flacso. Subsequently, they began developing their Consultation Protocol, which is expected to be finalized in the second half of 2025.
Read more about issues involving Vale and Indigenous Peoples in Controversies
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Learn more
Building trust-based relationships
Our history of engagement with Indigenous Peoples and Traditional Communities is based on building and sustaining trust and supporting the empowerment and resilience of these communities. Learn about the outcomes of some of our initiatives.Anda mengakses pengalaman:
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