Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples make up 3.3% of the Australian population and experience extreme disadvantage due to intergenerational inequality and discrimination. Australia’s original inhabitants, with continuing cultures and presence for over 60,000 years, were dispossessed of their lands with the arrival of European settlement and occupation in 1788 and the declaration of Australia as ‘terra nullius’, until this was overturned in the High Court in the Mabo decision in 1992. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples were also dispossessed of their families and cultures, through the official government policies of forced removals from 1910 to 1971, resulting in the Stolen Generation. Historical injustices have resulted in significant and ongoing inequities – including gaps in life expectancy, health, literacy, employment and education outcomes, over-incarceration, including the incarceration of children and young people, and higher rates of violence experienced by Indigenous women and girls. Stakeholder feedback reflected the importance of comprehensive engagement with First Nations people. This includes engagement through ceremonial, arts, employment, procurement and legacy aspects of the tournament. It also includes supporting existing initiatives that are supported by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples themselves or working in genuine collaboration and co-design processes to drive new initiatives. Reconciliation Action Plans are one significant way to articulate and enact this commitment. Working in genuine partnership with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples will significantly reduce risks and expand opportunities, including for enduring benefits beyond the tournament. Importantly, the following key principles from the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP)68 must be central to any engagement or initiatives concerning First Nations: • • • • self-determination participation in decision-making respect for and protection of culture equality and non-discrimination. FIFA 2023 Women’s World Cup Human Rights Risk Assessment • 29