Oil, Gas and Mining research and reports

Community Consent Index

jedwards — 2012-12-11T15:53:33Z

Increasingly, around the world local communities are demanding a meaningful voice in determining whether and under what conditions oil, natural gas, and mining projects take place. This Research Backgrounder collates a representative sample of the publicly available position statements concerning community rights made by 28 major oil, gas, and mining exploration and production companies, with a primary focus on 2010 to 2012.

From Controversy to Consensus?

jedwards — 2012-11-20T16:39:41Z

In light of the urgent need to reduce conflict around extractive industry and other large-scale development projects with potentially significant impacts on indigenous peoples and local communities, Oxfam America compiled the case studies in this report highlighting lessons learned from three community consultation experiences.

The Right of Indigenous Peoples to Prior Consultation: The Situation in Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru

Due Process of Law Foundation and Oxfam — 2011-12-16T20:09:03Z

At Oxfam's request, the Due Process Law Foundation (DPLF) studied the current situation of the right to prior consultation under international human rights law in four Andean countries: Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru. The study illustrates the barriers to exercising the right to prior consultation and consent in each of these four countries, and is intended to encourage broad debate. The report stresses the urgent need to develop mechanisms to ensure that indigenous peoples can act as architects of their own advancement as the true ancestral owners of the lands they inhabit.

People, power, and pipelines

mhart — 2010-08-24T19:09:08Z

Between 2004 and 2009, approximately $1.13 billion in revenue generated by the Camisea natural gas project was transferred to local governments in Camisea's area of influence. However, more than five years after the start of operations, critical gaps in meeting the basic needs of local citizens remain.

Report launch event video
Report launch event podcast (audio only)

Review of IFC Performance Standards and Sustainability Policy

aperera — 2010-08-10T13:36:00Z

As the International Finance Corporation (IFC) reviews its 2006 Performance Standards and Sustainability Policy, Oxfam International recommends a particular focus on improvements in the areas of 1) community engagement and “broad community support”, 2) transparency, 3) project definition and categorization, 4) demonstrating project-level development impacts, 5) application of the Performance Standards to financial intermediaries and 6) human rights. These recommendations are a result of Oxfam International and local partner engagement with IFC-financed oil, gas, mining, dams, hydro-power, and other large-scale projects over the past decade.

International Conference on Extractive Industries Contracts

ldiolosa — 2009-12-17T16:53:56Z

Oxfam America and six other international organizations concerned with reform of the oil, gas, and mining industries (Oxfam Novib – Netherlands, Revenue Watch Institute, International Institute for Environment and Development, Global Witness, Bank Information Center, and Publish What You Pay – USA) hosted an international conference in Washington on September 23 to discuss contracts between corporations and governments. This report summarizes the presentations and discussion.

These contracts determine how much governments will receive from the development of their resources and have important implications for communities, human rights, and the environment. While much international attention has been given to transparency and management of government revenues from these industries, less attention has been paid to the underlying agreements between companies and host governments.

The conference discussed the political and legal context of extractive industry contracts; licensing and negotiation; confidentiality and transparency of contracts; citizen and parliamentary participation in negotiation; approval and monitoring of contracts; the financial "take" of the government contracts; and contract renegotiation experiences. Specific experiences in Liberia, Ghana, Peru and Azerbaijan were also examined from a variety of perspectives. Conference participants discussed key areas for a reform agenda as a contribution towards addressing the “resource curse”.

Metals, mining, and sustainable development in Central America

mborum — 2009-03-11T20:42:59Z

Mining communities throughout the world know firsthand that those closest to mining development get hit the hardest. If mining is to realize any of its promise, it must be done with the full sanction and support of local communities. The mining industry must respect local communities' right to free, prior, and informed consent. Furthermore, it must integrate tightly into local economies and allow for cooperative decision-making on a continuing basis. If these circumstances do not exist, communities have grounds to reject mining projects—because the costs will likely outweigh the benefits.

Ghana's Big Test

mborum — 2009-03-24T21:47:32Z

Ghana's oil boom is happening in an era of increased attention to the problems of resource-rich states, and Ghana has important opportunities to learn from the positive and negative examples of others. This report makes extensive recommendations for the government, companies, donors, and others to support the transparent, accountable, and efficient development of Ghana’s oil wealth. An Oxfam America/ISODEC report.

Corporate Social Responsibility in the Mining Sector in Peru

mborum — 2009-04-30T22:38:39Z

Investment in mining is increasing in Peru. In order for mining to promote sustainable development among the poorest communities near mining concessions, the government must have clear policies to redistribute revenues to benefit local communities, an organized and responsible civil society must be involved in important decisions about policies, and mining companies must operate in responsible ways.

This report explores the basic concepts of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), and explores key social issues the mining industry must face in Peru. It includes a summary of the main national and international regulations, standards, and guidelines that will help Peru’s mining sector implement essential aspects of a good CSR program.

The report also recommends that the government, mining industry, and civil society jointly develop reference guides for employment, land acquisition and voluntary resettlement, public consultation, participatory monitoring, and social investments.

Corporate Social Responsibility in the Mining Sector in Peru seeks to take a first step towards meaningful dialogue about CSR among the different actors involved to help civil society obtain the highest benefits from CSR policies and actions implemented by government and corporations.

Golden Rules

mborum — 2009-06-30T21:58:58Z

Around the world, large-scale metals mining takes an enormous toll on the health of the environment and communities. Gold mining, in particular, is one of the dirtiest industries in the world. Massive open-pit mines, some measuring as much as two miles (3.2 kilometers) across, generate staggering quantities of waste—an average of 76 tons for every ounce of gold.

In the US, metals mining is the leading contributor of toxic emissions to the environment. And in countries such as Ghana, Romania, and the Philippines, mining has also been associated with human rights violations, the displacement of people from their homes, and the disruption of traditional livelihoods.

Dirty Metals

mborum — 2009-05-27T23:58:16Z

The purpose of this report is to show you how much metal there is in your life—from the gold in your jewelry to the aluminum in your automobile—and to explain how it was produced. If you live in the United States, your annual consumption of "newly-mined" minerals (as opposed to those produced from recycling) comes to 21 metric tons*—just over 57 kilos a day. This report will show you what lies behind that stupendous lode of copper and tantalum, gold and platinum. We'll explain how the mining of these and other metals damages landscapes, pollutes water, and poisons people. We'll show you why modern, industrial mining is one of the world’s most destructive industries. And finally, we'll show you what we as consumers and concerned citizens can do to clean it up.

Hidden Treasure?

mborum — 2009-06-30T22:10:24Z

Gold is now Mali's leading export. If the country's mineral wealth is managed wisely, it holds the potential to contribute to economic development and poverty reduction. Increasing the transparency of mining revenue management is a critical part of this equation.

This report examines current laws and practices relating to mining revenue management in Mali, and presents a series of recommendations for improving transparency and information disclosure.

The authors are A. Rani Parker, Ph.D., and Fred Wood, Ph.D., of Business-Community Synergies (www.bcsynergies.com).

A French language translation of this report is available below.

Tarnished Legacy

mborum — 2009-06-30T22:16:14Z

In Mali, gold recalls the greatness of the Malian empires, and evokes images of the Trans-Saharan salt and gold trade, of Islamic scholars and the ancient cities of Timbuktu and Djenné. Yet at the same time, a popular Bamanankan saying warns, "Sanu ko balaw ka ca": gold mining stirs problems.

In modern day Mali, it remains to be seen which of these images most accurately depicts reality. Gold production is growing quickly in Mali, which is now the third largest gold producer in Africa (after South Africa and Ghana). Gold has replaced cotton as Mali's leading export and has been promoted by the Bretton Woods Institutions as a key driver of Mali's national development. The Syama goldmine discussed in this report was the first large mine constructed during Mali's current gold boom. In a country ranked 164 out of 172 on the Human Development Index and with 90.6 percent of the population living on less than $2 per day, it is hard not to see the allure of gold's earning power.

This study, drawing on the lessons learned from Syama, examines the contribution of Mali's gold industry and its potential as a tool for development and poverty reduction. It presents data on a range of impacts (direct and indirect, positive and negative), tied to the operation and closing of the Syama gold mine.

Poverty Reduction or Poverty Exacerbation?

mborum — 2010-05-19T17:40:07Z

This report examines the World Bank Group’s support for extractive industries (oil, gas, and mining) in Africa over the last 20 years in light of the World Bank's self-proclaimed mission of poverty reduction. It describes the obstacles to using extractive industries as a vehicle for poverty alleviation and sustainable development, and poses a series of research questions related to the role of the World Bank Group in extractive industries.

A Proposed Mine in Tambogrande, Peru: An Alternative Look

mborum — 2009-04-30T22:08:36Z

The proposed Tambo Grande mining project in northern Peru offers a stark illustration of the problems associated with large-scale mining operations in an era of deregulation and globalization. The town of Tambogrande is poor, isolated and in the heart of Peru's "El Niño" zone. It sits directly atop a major gold, zinc and copper deposit that Manhattan Minerals, a small Canadian mining multinational, is seeking to develop into an open-pit mine. Projected impacts of the mine could be severe. Construction of the mine would require the relocation of an estimated 8,000 inhabitants of a total population of between 14,000 and 16,000 people and the diversion of a local river. The project could also have significant impacts on agricultural production in the area. Tambogrande farmers are Peru's principal mango exporters and the area has become one of Peru's leading agricultural centers thanks to major investment in irrigation systems, some of it provided by the World Bank.

Concerned by the proposed relocation and by threats to their agriculturally based livelihoods, local populations have mounted significant resistance to the project. On February 27 and 28, 2001, an estimated 10,000 people participated in blocking road access to the exploration site. A recent initiative collected approximately 28,000 notarized signatures of individuals in the Tambogrande district, of approximately 37,000 eligible voters, who are opposed to the mine. Tambogrande's Mayor and local Archbishop have called for the project not to go forward, citing not only the potential environmental impacts, but the mine's
disruptive social impacts, already evident in the exploration phase due to the tense environment of distrust and conflict that exists in the area. The archbishop has called the project "socially unviable." These actions represent significant opposition to the proposed mine by affected citizens and community leaders.

Manhattan Minerals, a mining "junior" with no previous experience operating a mine of this size, and no other current projects, rode into Peru on the wave of the country’s recent mining boom. With the privatization of Peru's mining sector in the early 1990s, foreign investment in the sector has exploded over the past decade. From 1992 to 1997, the volume of mining operations in Peru tripled from 30,000 to 100,000 metric tons of minerals per day. Land area devoted to exploration and extraction increased from 4 million to 18 million hectares between 1992 and 1998. According to the Financial Times, Peru has had South America's highest rate of exploration success in recent years, driving Latin America's emergence as the most popular continent for new mining projects. The Tambo Grande project is located in the department of Piura, a department that up until now has not been known for mining, but rather agriculture. Manhattan's operation may open the door to the exploitation of hundreds of thousands of hectares currently under concession in Piura. The impact on traditional agricultural livelihoods, from which the vast majority of Piurans draw sustenance and income, could be significant.