The journey Conservation International (CI) has taken toward creating these guidelines to implement Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) follows in the footsteps of the development of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP). The Declaration was developed in direct response to the need for an internationally recognized human rights instrument that respects indigenous peoples right to self-determination, with FPIC as a means of ensuring this right. In 1987, just two years after efforts to draft UNDRIP began, CI emerged as a newly founded organization working in partnership with communities to protect terrestrial and marine ecosystems, foster good governance, and build a future in which people live in harmony with nature.7 Consistent with the UN Declaration, CI was founded on the understanding that successful conservation requires respect for human rights and the full and effective participation of indigenous peoples and local communities whose livelihoods depend upon natural resources. To further its commitment to incorporating the input of indigenous peoples into its programs and policies, CI invited six indigenous experts from around the world to form an Indigenous Advisory Group (IAG) in 2009. The IAG’s purpose is threefold: To strengthen existing collaborations between indigenous peoples and NGOs on REDD+8; to bring direct advice and feedback from indigenous experts into the strategies of CI; and to promote understanding of the needs, priorities and concerns of indigenous peoples related to REDD+ and other forest-related activities.