CSR: Oxfam measures mining, oil & gas FPIC performance

WASHINGTON, DC – A new report from international relief and development organization Oxfam finds that the number of mining companies with commitments to "free, prior and informed consent (FPIC) has almost tripled since 2012. The 2015...

WASHINGTON, DC – A new report from international relief and development organization Oxfam finds that the number of mining companies with commitments to "free, prior and informed consent (FPIC) has almost tripled since 2012. The 2015 Community Consent Index examined policies of 38 oil, gas and mining companies.

Oxfam defines free, prior, and informed consent as the principle that indigenous peoples and local communities must be adequately informed in a timely manner about projects that affect their lands, free of coercion and manipulation, and should be given the opportunity to approve or reject a project before any activity starts.

The key findings of the report include:

  • Fourteen mining companies now have public commitments to FPIC.
  • No companies offer unequivocal commitments to withdraw from a project if a community decides to withhold consent.
  • No companies reviewed have made public commitments to uphold FPIC for all affected communities, beyond indigenous peoples.
  • Oil and gas companies lag far behind their mining company peers on public commitments to FPIC, with no oil and gas companies making public commitments to FPIC.
  • Gender was not a strong focus for the majority of the companies reviewed. Of the 38 companies included, most had very little to no mention of gender (or the importance of engaging with women) in any of the publicly available policy documents or guidelines.

“As demand for resources increases, the potential for negative impacts on communities and social conflicts also rises,” said Raymond C. Offenheiser, president of Oxfam America. “Communities are calling for a greater voice in the development of their natural resources, and companies are recognizing the business case for meaningful engagement. But companies need to strengthen their policies on engaging with communities in order to protect their human rights and avoid negative outcomes.”

The full report is available here: Oxfam.org/CommunityConsent

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