Mining and oil & gas projects are often located in remote locations with significant impact on local communities. It is essential for companies to ensure these communities are on board before and during the project.

Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) and appropriate Community Development Agreements (CDAs) are crucial to mitigating the risk of projects failing due to conflict with the local population. CDAs work to ensure that local communities benefit from these projects, supporting positive outcomes for all stakeholders. However, the lack of standardization means current results are varied.

This webinar hosted a discussion on the difference between CDAs and FPIC, the effectiveness and challenges of CDAs in EM, tools to search existing agreements and what is required to strengthen them.

Speakers:

• Kristi Disney Bruckner, Executive Director at Sustainable Development Strategies Group (SDSG)
• Brendan Schwartz, Senior Researcher of Natural Resources at International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED)
• Sam Szoke-Burke, Senior legal Researcher at Columbia Center on Sustainable Investment (CCSI)
• Moderated by Veronica Ayzaguer, Director, Extractive Industries Program, Emerging Markets Investors Alliance.