Dear SIAHub Member, we are seeking your input on the future of qualitative research in Impact Assessment!

Interesting read about a positive case on achieving a social licence to operate:

"From 1943 to 1996, the small rural community of Schoonebeek in the eastern Netherlands hosted the largest onshore oilfield in western Europe. Some 250 million barrels of oil were produced, bringing prosperity to the municipality and local community. With generous compensation paid by NAM (Nederlandse Aardolie Maatschappij, a partnership between Shell and ExxonMobil), local people greatly benefited from oil extraction. However, there were also negative social impacts, including: an influx of outsiders; changes to social structure, social fabric, social cohesion, and community identity; disruption to the peaceful rural setting; and industrialisation of the landscape. Nevertheless, the oil pumping installations (‘jaknikkers’ or nodding donkeys) ultimately became positive symbols of local place identity. Despite the negative social impacts, oil production came to be viewed positively by most local people, and a high level of trust developed between the host community and NAM because of the social performance strategies that were implemented."

More information and the full publication available with open access in https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214790X21000332?via%3Dihub 

The IAIA Key Citations Series about Social Impact Assessment has been recently updated! 

The document draws on Jane Munday's PhD research and practice of a "model for social and cultural impact assessment that will deliver socially, culturally, ecologically and economically sustainable development of Northern Australia."

"This is not intended as a definitive guide. Other companies will have their own methodologies. But this document reflects our approach to social impact assessment. It draws on the standards set by the International Association for Public Participation (IAP2) and International Association for Impact Assessment (IAIA), in particular work by Professor Frank Vanclay."

The full community guide to SIA is available in http://www.truenorthcomm.com.au/news/community-guide-to-sia/ 

New South Wales Department of Planning, Industry and Environment has launched a new resource to encourage developers to engage earlier and more deeply with communities. Share your feedback on the Draft Social Impact Assessment Guideline before 27 November.


Available at: https://www.planning.nsw.gov.au/sia  

Based on the recent events that led to the destruction of the Juukan Gorge caves in the Pilbara region of Western Australia,  Deanna Kemp and Andrew Hopkins provides very relevant reflections for for SIA practitioners in general. 

Community Insights Group have launched a new tool for producing customized social and human rights context. 

The Economist highlights the increasing relevance of social aspects for investors. 


Available at: https://amp-economist-com.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/amp.economist.com/finance-and-economics/2020/06/04/esg-investors-get-their-heads-around-social-risks

Community Insights Group has launched INGA - an online tool that produces social and human rights country context reports customised to your needs, in an instant.


If you are an investor, operator or consultant needing to make sense of the contextual issues and risks that matter to people, their resilience, and their rights in the countries where you operate, where do you start? So much data, so little time!


INGA launch video is available at: https://vimeo.com/427450344

The article examines strengths and weaknesses of SEA in Australia. A free copy can be downloaded via the following link. The article details are attached. https://www.tandfonline.com/eprint/XSZVW49BUCCEY9ZZFNAM/full?target=10.1080/14615517.2020.1762389

Organized by DIHR, Rafto Foundation and IHRB, in Bergen, Norway in December 2019. The report discusses the main human rights issues, challenges, good practices and ways forward in the global salmon farming industry.

Does your employer or client have a COVID-19 response in their local community you’d like us to share? Let us know by emailing info@socialimpactassessment.com or responding to this post here.

See some examples here that others are doing.

The Danish Institute for Human Rights is seeking a consultant to prepare a background paper analysing the energy transition in Sub-Saharan Africa, focusing in particular on associated human rights implications. Proposals due 25 April. More info at: https://www.humanrights.dk/sites/humanrights.dk/files/media/dokumenter/vacancies/rbc_in_ssa_-_energy_scoping_paper_tor_2020.pdf

New article on estuarine cultural ecosystem services has been published by Ocean & Coastal Management. The article can be accessed via the following link https://authors.elsevier.com/c/1ahFR3RKK-njwV

The Business & Human Rights Centre in collaboration with the Danish Institute for Human Rights have just launched a new portal on Gender, Business & Human Rights.

In a recent publication, Richard Parsons briefly discussed the likelihood that social impact assessments will increasingly need to consider people's genuine concerns regarding project effects on the local and global climate. This new article discusses this topic in more detail, with a particular focus on agricultural livelihoods and the need for meaningful (dialogic) engagement.

Written for local CSOs, human rights defenders and community rights advocates in Africa and beyond, Biashara Na Haki Part 2 focuses on practical tools and steps to identify business and human rights impacts and obtain remedy. The guide encourages a constructive approach to engagement that favours collaborative strategies such as negotiation and joint problem solving, and campaigning where necessary.


Available at: https://www.amnesty.nl/actueel/biashara-na-haki-impacts-of-businesses-on-human-rights

This 2-week practical training course, delivered in English, promotes understanding about and develops skills in managing the social risks and impacts associated with the development of public and private investment projects (e.g. mines, dams, highways, industry parks, electricity transmission corridors, agricultural developments, etc), and particularly issues related to land acquisition and resettlement. The course is a designated Summer School of the University of Groningen and is managed by Community Insights Group and taught in conjunction with the IFC/World Bank, Intersocial Consulting, and Frederic Giovannetti.


Maputo, Mozambique 3-14 August 2020 (registration closes 31 March 2020): https://www.rug.nl/education/summer-winter-schools/land-acquisition-mozambique/

What kind of alliances between companies and public institutions are needed to revitalize a territory? How do companies contribute to territorial governance? Specialist speakers discuss these and other questions in the World Forum for a Responsible Economy 2019.

In this episode of the web-series "Making EIA Better 5 Questions at a Time", Alberto Fonseca interviews Frank Vanclay, professor of cultural geography in the Faculty of Spatial Sciences at the University of Groningen (The Netherlands).

Human rights impact assessment (HRIA) has increasingly gained traction among state, business and civil society actors since the endorsement of the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights by the Human Rights Council in 2011. This timely and insightful Handbook addresses HRIA in the context of business and human rights.

Recent open-source publication about Social Impact Assessment in the 21st century outlines the newest challenges of the discipline.

The Danish Institute of Human Rights have recently launched a report for practitioners working in and with extractive industries on how a gender-responsive approach can be embedded in project planning and implementation. The purpose of this report is to contribute to learning on key challenges, as well as good practice opportunities for practitioners working in and with the extractive industries, on how a gender-responsive approach can be embedded in project planning and implementation. In particular, the report explores how strengthened engagement with women can act as a key enabler for human rights due diligence. More info and free download of the report at the DIHR website: https://www.humanrights.dk/publications/towards-gender-responsive-implementation-extractive-industries-projects

In collaboration with Community Insights Group, the Danish Institute for Human Rights has developed a masterclass for practitioners on the integration of human rights and the adoption of a human rights-based approach in impact assessment. The masterclass is designed for practitioners involved in the impact assessment of business projects who have some experience and knowledge of social impact assessment but want to increase their knowledge of human rights and human rights-based approaches, including: individuals within companies or institutions (e.g. financial institutions) who are responsible for commissioning and overseeing social impact assessments; and internal and external practitioners that carry out impact assessments. Class dates: 6-7 February 2020 More information and description of the class on: https://www.humanrights.dk/business/tools/human-rights-impact-assessment-masterclass-practitioners

The ESRM program was developed by IFC with the support the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) and other donors, to increase the uptake of Environmental and Social (E&S) standards by Financial Institutions (FIs) operating in Sub-Saharan Africa. The project supports the regulator in the development and implementation of E&S regulations and guidance for financial institutions. The ESRM Program also provides local capacity building for E&S specialists and practitioners (both banking professionals and consultants) and supports Financial Institutions in improving their E&S risk management systems which increases the percentage of their lending portfolio screened/appraised against good E&S management standards. More info at the ESRM Africa website: https://www.esrmafrica.org/

IAIA’s journal, Impact Assessment and Project Appraisal (IAPA), is planning a special issue on gender and impact assessment and management. Original research papers, case studies, and conceptual papers between 5,000-8,000 words on experiences with integrating, analyzing, and addressing gender in impact assessment and management are invited. Abstracts are due 30 August 2019 and full papers 30 March in 2020. More details are available at https://think.taylorandfrancis.com/gender-in-impact-assessment-and-management/?

Mining Shared Value (MSV), an initiative of Engineers Without Borders Canada, has launched the Extractives-led Local Economic Diversification (ELLED) Framework in partnership with the World Bank’s Energy and Extractives Global Practice. The ELLED Framework is an online tool that supports host country policymakers in understanding and implementing policies to increase local participation in extractive industry value chains, while leveraging the sector to create more diversified economies. The tool is freely available in the ELLED website: https://www.elledframework.org/

The Danish Institute of Human Rights just published the HRIA they conducted for Total S.A. on the Papua Liquefied Natural Gas Project - with a focus on gender, security and conflict. Available for download at: https://www.humanrights.dk/publications/papua-lng-human-rights-impact-assessment

Prof. Sango Mahanty is looking for “living” case studies and reports, in particular, documents that address one or more of the following: Safeguards related to involuntary resettlement. Safeguards related to indigenous peoples. Major infrastructure developments (e.g., dams, railways, roads) Natural resource use/management (e.g., forestry, fisheries, conservation, agriculture, extractive industries) Health Urban planning New technologies Gendered impacts Cumulative impacts/Strategic environmental assessments The studies may have been conducted ahead of the intervention, during or after it, or may even be a set of documents that covers all of these. Ideally the reports will be from within the last decade or so. If you are aware of, or have access to, any documents fitting this description, please contact Sango Mahanty at sango.mahanty@anu.edu.au. Sango will share the library with all contributors.

Launch of the new ESG toolkit from the CDC Group with very interesting and relevant materials for those who work with E&S Performance. Available at: https://toolkit.cdcgroup.com/

The European Investment Bank (EIB), the EU Bank, is consulting on the review of its energy lending policy.

Registration is open for the second round of the the SIA e-learning programme offered by Community Insights Group and the University of Strathclyde. The 8-week course will build practical knowledge in conducting SIA that conforms to the International Association for Impact Assessment's Principles and Guidance for SIA, the IFC Environmental and Social Performance Standards, good international industry practice and the United Nations Guiding Principles for Business and Human Rights. Please download course brochure for e-learning programme details on https://www.communityinsights.eu/new-sia-e-learning-2/ 

Applications can be made up to 18 February 2019 and the course starts on 04 March 2019. For registration, please email your CV to shaidar@communityinsights.eu,

The International Council on Mining and Metals (ICMM) announced new membership requirements to advance the sustainability performance of the mining sector, committing members to implement the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.

Speaking at the UN Annual Forum on Business and Human Rights, Tom Butler, ICMM’s Chief Executive announced ICMM’s new performance expectations that will define what mining with principles looks like in practice, by setting a benchmark for the industry’s environmental and social performance.

The performance expectations will apply to all ICMM’s company members who manage almost 650 assets in over 50 countries, covering nearly half of the world’s iron ore and copper production, and over a quarter of all mined commodities by value. Therefore, it will be the most far-reaching initiative to advance environmental and social performance in the mining industry.

More info at: http://www.icmm.com/pe-pr

The 2018 Corporate Human Rights Benchmark is out! The Corporate Human Rights Benchmark assesses 101 of the largest publicly traded companies in the world on a set of human rights indicators.

In collaboration with the American University Washington College of Law Human Rights in Business Program, along with the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the ABA Center for Human Rights, Nomogaia have compiled publicly available resources, case studies and literature on HRIA. The document is updated frequently and provides hyperlinks to available resources. Available at: http://nomogaia.org/2018/09/human-rights-impact-assessment-resources/

IPIECA has developed the Community liaison officers team building and management guidance, to assist community relations managers in planning their community liaison teams and recruiting community liaison officers (CLOs).

"What do we get out of it?" - Recent report from  Human Rights Watch about the human rights impacts of bauxite mining in Guinea

As of October 1, 2018, the ESF applies to all new World Bank investment project financing.

Renewable Energy Risking Rights & Returns: An analysis of solar, bioenergy & geothermal sectors

The Social Impact Assessment Key Citations series from the International Association for Impact Assessment have been updated!

The Asian Development Bank publication entitled "Health Impact Assessment Framework for Special Economic Zones in the Great Mekong Subregion" has been recently published and is freely available for download at https://www.adb.org/publications/health-impact-assessment-framework-economic-zones-gms

Implementing the Ahafo Benefit Agreements: Seeking Meaningful Community Participation at Newmont’s Ahafo Gold Mine in Ghana

New practical publication from Monkey Forest Consulting - "Getting It Done: A Handbook on Social Performance Management: A handbook for creating and implementing social performance management systems". 

Available for purchase at https://monkeyforestconsulting.com/the-handbook/

This new (free) book from Prof. Anthony Bebbington and other authors uses Latin American and African case studies to form a broad geographical comparison. This new book from Prof. Anthony Bebbington and other authors uses Latin American and African case studies to form a broad geographical comparison. It also compares countries over long historical periods in order to allow readers to see patterns over time, using theory and deep empirical analysis, explaining concepts and supporting them with broad based substantiation.

The European Investment Bank (EIB) has just launched an e-learning course providing the required knowledge and skills to implement its EU-based environmental and social standards.

Primarily focused on the needs of the EIB’s financial intermediaries outside the EU, this course will suit the needs of anyone interested in integrating environmental and social dimensions to ensure sustainable investment projects.

The UNPD guidance document "Extracting Good Practices: A Guide for Governments and Partners to Integrate Environment and Human Rights into the Governance of the Mining Sector" has just been published! Available at: http://www.undp.org/content/dam/undp/library/Sustainable%20Development/Environmental-Governance-Project/Extracting_Good_Practices_Report.pdf

This new guidance from the IDB "is structured around ten key elements, which should be embedded in an SIA process in projects of moderate to high risk, scale, and complexity. However, the note stresses that these elements should not be applied mechanically or as a blueprint. The nature and setting of each project is different, and the SIA process should be adapted and applied in a flexible manner."

IAIA 18 will provide a live stream of the conference Opening Plenary, along with one theme forum session each morning, so that others around the world who cannot join us in Durban can see a little bit of IAIA18.


The live stream can be accessed at:— http://conferences.iaia.org/2018/live-stream.php — please share it with your colleagues/network.

The Dutch government has supported the development of a “Responsible Mining Index” through a new organization called the “Responsible Mining Foundation” which is a bold attempt to directly compare corporate performance in the sector. 

The Mining SWIA, developed by MCRB and DIHR, is intended to encourage a switch to responsible mining in Myanmar.

The mechanism has its origin in recommendations from the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Indigenous Peoples.

IAIA18, “Environmental Justice in Societies in Transition,” will be held 16-19 May 2018 in Durban, South Africa. For more information, visit the conference web site. #iaia18 The preliminary program is available. Download it today to see an overview of the technical program, details on training courses and technical visits, special meetings and networking activities, and more! Registration is open until 20 April at http://conferences.iaia.org/2018/registration.php.

The CSR Standards Navigation Tool is designed to help Canadian companies, civil society organizations, communities, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) practitioners and host country governments more easily access the best practices and guidance outlined in the six international standards endorsed by the Government of Canada.

​​​​​​In a unique partnership, CO​SO and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) have jointly developed draft guidance: Applying Enterprise Risk Management to Environmental, Social and Governance-related Risks to help organizations worldwide respond to the increasing prevalence and severity of ESG-related risks.

This guide was prepared by Power Africa to assist the community engagement efforts of power project developers in Kenya. It was developed to shed light on the importance of community engagement as good business practice and proposes an approach contextualized to the Kenyan
situation. The purpose is that the guide will serve as a practical manual for developers to conduct more effective community engagement programs, that will ultimately lead to win-win projects for the community, the companies investing in Kenya, and for the country as a whole. 

This briefing paper sheds light on the risks that are brought about by the projected increase in demand for minerals, such as iron ore and chromium, which are needed for the production of new wind turbines. 

"Dirty Gold: How Activism Transformed the Jewelry Industry" by Dr. Michael John Bloomfield details business responses to activist campaigns that try to change mining practices through targeting jewelry retailers. 

More info: https://mitpress.mit.edu/books/dirty-gold

Public Brainpower examines how civil society, public debate and freedom of speech affect the management of oil and gas resources and revenues. Drawing on the work of Almond and Verba on civic culture, by Dahl on polyarchy, by Habermas on the public sphere and by Putnam on civil society and social capital, the book introduces the concept of "public brainpower" and suggests that good governance of natural resources requires fertile public debate.

This guide is designed for people who work in the extractive industry (and their families) and who fly or drive as long-distance commuters to a mining camp. These forms of labour mobility are called FIFO (Fly-in/Fly-out) or DIDO (Drive-in/Drive-out). Some workers come from nearby communities while others have to fly for many hours to get to work. The Guide contains useful information also for companies and communities affected by FIFO/DIDO. 

The UNGPs have been widely accepted as the normative standard on business and human
rights. Drawing from the author's experience in the extractives sector, they have explored how the UNGPs were applied at BG Group in the period between 2010 and 2016. They have described some of the underlying design principles that informed the company’s approach at the time, and explored some of the dilemmas and challenges that accompany the practical implementation of the corporate responsibility to respect human rights.  

Key citations on the topic of Human Rights Impact Assessment (HRIA), are now available online, thanks to IAIA members Nora Götzmann and Natasha Maria Lund Andersen. (http://www.iaia.org/uploads/pdf/Key Citations_HRIA 17 Oct.pdf)

The Danish Institute of Human Rights is requesting input for developing the HRIA Guidance and Toolbox, with the anticipated launch of the final version in 2019.

The Environmental and Social Standards, which form an integral part of the World Bank’s new Environmental and Social Framework, set out requirements for borrowing countries relating to the identification, assessment, and management of environmental and social risks and impacts associated with projects financed by the Bank through Investment Project Financing (IPF). The Bank is preparing Guidance Notes for Borrowers as a resource to help explain requirements contained in the Standards and provide helpful examples. 

The ranking is intended as a contribution to Arctic governance and the upholding of indigenous rights, without the use of international treaties, laws, policing, or state intervention. Instead, the ranking aims to create competition among companies to be best on indigenous rights-by honoring and shaming companies, raising awareness, and encouraging companies to make explicit commitments to uphold indigenous rights. For the ranking to have this effect on the companies, it is important that people know about it and refer to it.

https://arran.custompublish.com/getfile.php/3736810.927.pauusbdsxu/Arran+Lule+Ranking+core+paper2+web.pdf

Also of relevance

https://sites.hks.harvard.edu/hepg/Papers/2017/Geopolitics%20Renewables%20-%20final%20report%206.26.17.pdf

This report investigates the nature and consequences of conflict in infrastructure projects in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study on this scale at the infrastructure industry. A hybrid quantitative and qualitative research approach provided the data for the study. 32 interviews were conducted with 42 sustainability experts involved in the development of infrastructure in LAC. Then, a database of 200 conflict-affected infrastructure projects across six sectors was created to assess the nature and drivers of conflicts, the companies’ response to conflicts, and the material implications for projects, companies, and societies. 

On August 31^st Community Insights Group (CIG) hosted a luncheon with leading professionals and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) leaders in Denmark to present and discuss the Regional Directive on Gender Assessments in Energy Projects, recently validated and adopted in ECOWAS. The Decree’s validation is seen as a ground-breaking achievement for the Region in ensuring that the specific interests of both women and men are equally taken into account in the development of energy projects. 

This newly published article represent the collective views of an economist, environmental engineer, sociologist, human rights lawyer and an environmental psychologist.

Greenland wants to develop the mineral resources area into one of the country’s primary and principal business sectors. This is to be done in close collaboration and dialogue with the Greenlandic population. Understanding the interaction between mineral projects and Greenlandic society is therefore essential in order to create sustainable relations between mineral resources companies, municipalities, affected individuals, other stakeholders as well as Greenlandic society in general.

The concept of social license to operate has pushed the mining industry to be increasingly responsive to community voices. In the wake of this change, the language of corporate social responsibility, social license to operate and sustainable development must align with innovation in practice and meaningful avenues for society. Enviromine-Srmining 2017 will be an opportunity to learn about the real reach, importance and limitations of social responsibility

The Department’s social impact assessment guideline for State significant mining, petroleum production, and extractive industry development (State significant resource projects) establishes a clear, consistent and rigorous framework for identifying, predicting, evaluating and developing responses to the social impacts of those projects, as part of the overall environmental impact assessment.

By David Baringo

Niskamoon Corporation in collaboration with the Indigenous Peoples Section of the International Association for Impact Assessment,  invited Indigenous participants from around the world to participate in Aashukan, an exchange hosted by the Crees of Northern Quebec, Canada in their ancestral homelands of Eeyou Istchee in the Cree community of Waskaganish. Aashukan means “bridge” in eastern Cree. The goal of the event was to create a new conversation that reconciles development and the protection of Indigenous culture and lands. It built bridges between these two imperatives for the benefit of all.

Mining operations often occur in the most disadvantaged areas in the world, encountering some of the most vulnerable children, with profound and diverse impacts. UNICEF research conducted in 2013-14 found that the mining sector can have both adverse and positive impacts on children.  The likelihood, scale and severity of most of these impacts is linked to the nature of the activity and its proximity to local communities.

The 2017 Corporate Human Rights Benchmark assesses 98 of the largest publicly traded companies in the world on 100 human rights indicators. The results reveal a small group of leaders pulling ahead of the rest. Available for download at: https://www.corporatebenchmark.org/

The Responsible Mining Foundation is pleased to announce the release of the Draft Methodology of the Responsible Mining Index (RMI) for public comment.

The International Institute for Environment and Development will host a "digital day" dedicated to artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) on 1 February, 2017, using online networks to connect mining stakeholders across the globe.

The Planning and Environment Department of New South Wales (Australia) is welcoming feedback on the Social impact assessment Draft Guidelines until 3 March 2017.

The World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors today approved a new Environmental and Social Framework (ESF) that expands protections for people and the environment in Bank-financed investment projects.

Last chance for registration! The pre-registration and payment deadline for training courses is 14 March, 2016.

This book offers a solid framework for analyzing the process and components of adaptation of rural livelihoods to a changing hydro-climatic environment and presents empirical evidence of livelihood adaptation at the local level in Bangladesh.

The Special Issue of Environmental Impact Assessment Review will address the implications of proponent control of IA, and examine alternative or complimentary approaches that can help overcome any shortcomings associated with it. 

Papers which focus on any worthwhile topic relating to project-induced displacement, land acquisition, resettlement, or the restoration and enhancement of livelihoods in these processes are sought for a special issue of the journal, Impact Assessment and Project Appraisal (IAPA). IAPA is the journal of the International Association for Impact Assessment ( www.iaia.org). The December 2016 issue of IAPA has been reserved for this special issue. Please note that IAPA will be included in Thomson Reuters SSCI/Web of Science from 2015.

Vanclay, F., Esteves, A.M., Aucamp, I. & Franks, D. 2015 Social Impact Assessment: Guidance for assessing and managing the social impacts of projects. Fargo ND: International Association for Impact Assessment (IAIA).

At the IAIA'15 conference (specifically at Monday 20 April, 11.00 -12.30) there will be a theme forum at which the document will be officially launched.

Published by the International Association for Impact Assessment, this 100-odd page document will become the definitive statement on best practice in social impact assessment.

Available for download below, or in Resources section of this website www.socialimpactassessment.com and on www.iaia.org

The extractive industry has the potential to significantly transform environments, communities and economies. At times, such transformation may manifest in conflicts or disputes between a resource developer and local communities, or even complete breakdown of the company's social licence to operate—with associated costs for the company, local communities, and the broader public.

IPIECA launches new manual on community grievance mechanisms in the oil and gas industry

IPIECA’s new manual provides practical step-by-step guidance on how to plan and implement operational-level community grievance mechanisms (CGMs), and how to design and manage corporate CGM frameworks.

To help meet the changing professional training and development needs of the extractive resources sector, The University of Queensland has launched a new postgraduate coursework program for 2015.
The Responsible Resource Development program is offered by UQ’s Sustainable Minerals Institute, the largest and most diverse education and research group in the world for sustainability in the extractive resources industry.

Deadline for paper & poster submissions IAIA15 is 28 November 2014

New WHO publication: Health in Impact Assessments: Opportunities not to be missed.
Free download: http://www.euro.who.int/en/health-topics/environment-and-health/health-impact-assessment/publications/2014/health-in-impact-assessments-opportunities-not-to-be-missed
Also in Resources section of this SIA Hub website.

‘What is legal?’ Formalising artisanal and small-scale mining in Colombia by Cristina Echavarría (2014)

The Alliance for Responsible Mining - ARM, in partnership with the International Institute for Environment and Development - IIED, present a new publication that explores challenges and opportunities for the Formalization of the Artisanal and Small Scale mining sector in Colombia, with a strong emphasis on gold. English publication launched at the 10th Annual General Meeting of the Intergovernmental Forum on Mining, Minerals, Metals and Sustainable Development (IGF) taking place in Geneva, Switzerland.
Available in Spanish early 2015.

Please visit "news" section on www.communitymining.org http://bit.ly/1rtbEh7

And download the complete publication here: http://bit.ly/1sigLB0

Social metrics are the new vanguard of sustainability. In a world of fast-paced communications and increasing transparency, businesses need measurable social impact data to make better decisions around social sustainability, find improvement opportunities and differentiate their products in the market. The innovative Product Social Impact Assessment methodology enables concrete, objective information at a product level.

Keenan, J. C. and D. L. Kemp (2014). Mining and local-level development: Examining the gender dimensions of agreements between companies and communities.
The Centre for Social Responsibility in Mining (CSRM) at the Sustainable Minerals Institute (SMI) has released the final report from a project entitled ‘Mining and local-development: Examining the gender dimensions of agreements between companies and communities’.

Costs of Company-Community Conflict in the Extractive Sector, by Rachel Davis & Daniel Franks (2014)

From August to December 2014, the World Bank is seeking feedback from stakeholders on the draft of the proposed Environmental and Social Framework to help inform the formulation of specific policy revisions, taking into account implications for implementation and operations. The draft framework will later be considered by the Board's Committee on Development Effectiveness.

Registration now open! 8-11 September 2014, CSRM will be conducting a four day Masterclass on Community Research Methods for the Resources Sector. Designed as a core component of the UQ/MCA Diploma and Masters Program in Community Relations (Resources Sector)

The Centre for Socially Responsible Mining will hold their first Masterclass in Free Prior Informed Consent from 19-22 July 2014 in Brisbane, Australia.

 20-24 October 2014
Registration now open - deadline 15 June 2014

Long-term Monitoring Impact Assessment of Mining in Panama, C. Quinn & J. Pouliot, 2014

This toolbox enables oil and gas companies to create, implement and raise awareness of community grievance mechanisms. Follow the link to the website to download the toolbox...

Channel Research is holding a two-day interactive training course on May, in Bangkok on Social Risk Management and Development. The course will focus on proactively managing social risks and the application of effective tools and methodologies for the extractive industries. Areas covered include: • Understanding the context (stakeholder and conflict mapping tools) • Stakeholder engagement • Community outreach project design • Management of grievances • Monitoring and evaluation

Tuesday (25th March) at 13:00 GMT
Complimentary 45-minute webinar will give you an insight on how some of the industry leaders minimise social risks and build trust with their host communities, as well as providing you with the latest thinking on stakeholder engagement.

Implementing Management and Monitoring Interventions

Part of series of training courses offered by Syngergy Global.

The symposium from 20-24 October 2014 will improve understanding of land access and resettlement issues, share lessons learned and discuss opportunities to improve performance.

Ethical Corporation has released an 8 page briefing on how extractive companies can reduce incidents of human rights infringements in their operations.

Eight papers presented at this Symposium are now available online at mq.edu.au/socialimpact

A symposium for SIA practitioners, researchers and others who need to consider social impact issues. it will focus on ways to turn up the heat on poor practice, recent success stories and ways to achieve good practice

University of Queensland is hiring a Research Officer/Postdoctoral Fellow on Certification in Mining. Deadline 14 February 2014.

Details on website:
http://careers.pageuppeople.com/mob/537/aw/en/job/495560/postdoctoral-research-fellow-certification-for-responsible-mining

This three-part course (live webcast format) draws on multi-faceted research at the Centre for Social Responsibility in Mining CSRM to provide:

• an understanding of the costs of conflict in the resource industry;
• processes and mechanisms by which communities can make their concerns heard and which companies can draw on to work with communities to negotiate and resolve conflict; and
• the causes and consequences of environmental conflicts in the research sector, and the process of using ecological factors to promote peace.

Social Impact Assessment and Management training course 28-30 January 2014 in Angola. Hosted by SINFIC in partnership with Community Insights Group - training by Ana Maria Esteves and Frank Vanclay

"Legitimizing industry and multi-sectoral regulation of cumulative impacts: a comparison of mining and energy development in Athabasca, Canada and the Hunter Valley, Australia" in Resources Policy.

This practical guide aimed at the oil & gas industry describes how human rights can be integrated into environmental, social and health impact assessments (ESHIAs), which the oil and gas industry routinely uses to evaluate projects and activities. It provides an introduction to human rights and their relevance to the activities of the oil and gas industry, and briefly describes why it is important for the oil and gas industry to consider the impact that its projects and activities have on human rights.

2-4 December 2013 Geneva, Switzerland
The Forum was established by the Human Rights Council and is under the guidance of the UN Working Group on Business and Human Rights. The Forum provides a global platform for the promotion and implementation of the Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. These Principles, unanimously endorsed in 2011 by the Council, are the first globally accepted standards on the responsibilities of States and businesses for preventing and addressing business-related human rights abuse.

February 21, 2014
A number of recent events including new planning proposals, 'streamlining' & disputes about climate change threaten the practice of SIA. This symposium titled Turning Up the Heat will focus up ways to turn up the heat on poor SIA or HIA practice as well as on recent success stories.

This website is a first step at shaping the future of our young discipline by setting some criteria and standards; to do that we are seeking to initiate a broad-ranging conversation with our community of social performance practitioners.

Independent SP offers hands-on training programmes delivered by an experienced trainer:

• Social Performance and Community Relations Masterclass
• Community Relations for Exploration Masterclass
• Community Research Methods in the Extractive Industry Course
• Scenario Planning for Complex Community Relations Challenges Training Workshop

This proactive course (4-8 November 2013) provides practical training on stakeholder engagement, conflict resolution, grievance management, and many more valuable skills that participants can begin applying to their daily work immediately after completing the course. The course attracts professionals within Africa from extractive industry operations, governments, NGOs, community based organisations and more, and addresses the key skills and knowledge needed by professionals to successfully manage their jobs in dealing with community relations.

New article on 'environmental impact assessment': Kabir, SMZ & Momtaz, S. 2013. 'Sectorial variation in the quality of environmental impact statements and factors influencing the quality', Journal of Environmental Planning and Management, DOI:10.1080/09640568.2013.824415 Published online: 26 Sep 2013

Beyond Voluntarism: The Changing Role of Corporate Social Responsibility Investments in the Extractive Resources Sector. New report published by the Centre for Social Responsibility in Mining (CSRM) Australia.

Evaluating Environmental and Social Impact Assessment in Developing Countries provides environmental scientists with tools to evaluate environmental and social impacts of development initiatives, especially in developing countries.

Professor Frank Vanclay and Daniel Franks have published the outcomes of their research on Social Impact Management Plans (SIMPs) as a journal article: Franks, DM and Vanclay, F. 2013. Social Impact Management Plans: Innovations in corporate and public policy. Environmental Impact Assessment Review, 43: 40-48.

The Centre for Research on Multinational Corporations (SOMO) is pleased to announce the launch of the Human Rights and Grievance Mechanisms website an introductory film on non-judicial grievance mechanisms, and brochures about the grievance mechanisms of two development banks.

A new National Wildlife Federation report, Honoring the River: How Hardrock Mining Impacts Tribal Communities tells the story of hardrock mining and tribes, from the checkered history of federal legislation allowing mining companies to lease minerals on tribal lands—often without tribal consent—to the many new mines being proposed near tribal communities.

The special issue was guest edited by Dr Deanna Kemp (University of Queensland) and Prof Frank Vanclay (University of Groningen) and was an initiative of the corporate stewardship and risk management section of the International Association for Impact Assessment.

This book evaluates the effectiveness of environmental and social impact assessment systems in developing countries using a new comprehensive approach termed by the authors as integrated holistic framework.

The launch of the report, Making Free Prior & Informed Consent a Reality: Indigenous Peoples and the Extractive Sector took place at Middlesex University in London on 2nd May 2013 (see http://int.piplinks.org/london-launch-research-paper-indigenous-peoples-and-mining).

This is a monthly scan of issues, public reports, trends and events for planners, policy makers interested in social impacts. Originally developed for social planners in Australia, it draws on a number of international, largely English speaking, sources.

This is a handbook for social impact assessment practitioners, principally for people preparing SIAs but also for people commissioning or reviewing SIAs. It deals with foundation issues, methodological issues and pitfalls and ethical issues encountered in practice.

The Centre for Regional Engagement at the University of SA, together with the CRC for Remote Economic Participation (CRCREP) is offering a PhD scholarship through the CRC REP research program entitled: Enduring Community Value from Mining.

The World Resources Institute just released Ecosystem Services Review for Impact Assessment: Introduction and Guide to Scoping. WRI invites social practitioners to use this method and provide feedback on how to better reflect the social aspects of ecosystem services throughout the impact assessment process.

The IFC's Sustainability Framework was updated in 2011 to reflect good practice, help protect people and the environment, promote transparency and accountability, and support clients in managing risks and doing business in a sustainable way. The updated framework will be disclosed August 1, 2011, with effective date January 1, 2012.

The IDB begins public consultations to help crafting a new environmental and social policy framework for thier projects.


They want to hear your ideas to ensure the strongest possible safeguards. This link explains how to participate: https://www.iadb.org/en/news/idb-launches-public-consultations-new-environmental-and-social-policy-framework