Making consent work for quality investment in the extractive industries

Resource conflicts between local people and oil, gas or mining companies can devastate communities, damage corporate reputations and cause costly delays.

Companies are striving to mitigate these risks through more meaningful community engagement on resource rights and project benefits. International law, indigenous rights groups and, increasingly, investors are pushing governments and companies to seek the free, prior and informed consent (FPIC) of local communities before undertaking potentially harmful activities, especially in cases of resettlement.

There is much debate over the definition of consent, who should grant it and how, and the roles of governments and companies in making sure it happens.

Companies could cut through these debates by turning their focus to the ‘spirit’ of FPIC and mainstreaming this into industry practice.

This publication forms part of IIED’s work to identify pathways towards inclusive and responsible mining.