About

Established in 1990, IEN was formed by community-based American Indian, Alaska Natives and First Nations of Canada, including youth, women, elders, traditional and spiritual indigenous societies, to address the rights of Indigenous Peoples and environmental and economic justice issues in North America. IEN uses the term “Indigenous Peoples” and networks and organizes with Indigenous communities throughout the world. IEN works on environmental protection, environmental health, conservation of natural resources and biodiversity, protection of sacred areas, food sovereignty and promoting just transition and sustainable development within Indigenous territories.

IEN is taking action towards just transition building the cultural, social, economic and political power of Native Nations and its Indigenous Peoples to develop action under the principles of self-determination, exercising the principles of Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC), the recognition of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, for energy democracy, food sovereignty and rights of Mother Earth.

The US, Canada and other industrialized countries have an addiction to the high consumption of energy. Mother Earth and Nature cannot sustain the consumption and energy production needs of the modern industrialized world and the dominant economic paradigm, which places value on rapid economic growth, the quest for corporate and individual accumulation of wealth, and a never-ending race to exploit natural resources. This non-regenerative production system creates too much waste and toxic pollution. IEN recognizes the critical need to build alliances of social movements and Indigenous movements for a new economy; governed by the absolute limits and boundaries of social, cultural and ecological sustainability and the carrying capacities of Mother Earth. IEN is an advocate for humanity to reevaluate its relationship to the sacredness and creative female principles of Mother Earth.

IEN campaigns upon the strength of indigenous frontline communities resisting unsustainable energy and extractive industry who are experiencing the effects of global warming and climate change, and developing strategic plans for Action for resiliency, transformation and change. IEN campaigns with frontline communities to keep fossil fuels in the ground, halt toxic emissions and demands a moratorium on all new exploration for oil, gas, coal and uranium as a first step towards the full phase-out of fossil fuels, without nuclear power, with a just transition to sustainable jobs, energy and environment.