RESOLVE hosted the FPIC Solutions Dialogue, with a presentation from the University of Queensland, to explore the social elements of closing extractives projects and considerations for FPIC implementation.
Project Closure and Communities: Challenges, Impacts, ConsiderationsSince 2012, RESOLVE has facilitated the FPIC Solutions Dialogue, a group of civil society organizations, extractives companies, and indigenous networks developing practical guidance to support FPIC (Free, Prior and Informed Consent) community processes throughout the life of extractive projects.One element of the Dialogue’s activities is to explore FPIC-related issues where understanding or awareness may be limited or lacking – such as how a community might be impacted when an extractive project closes after a number of years in operation. To initiate this discussion, the Dialogue held a webinar in 2019. Prof. Deanna Kemp (University of Queensland and RESOLVE Natural Resources and Energy Leadership Council member), kicked off the discussion with an overview of the kinds of issues that arise in closure which can impact communities, and introduced a new research initiative to collect further data and insights on some of these issues.The University of Queensland, an FPIC Dialogue member, has formed the three-year “Social Aspects of Mine Closure Research Consortium” with several industry partners to research the social, political, and economic dynamics associated with mine closure and related transitions for communities. The consortium has several projects in development, with some initial outcomes expected in early 2020. To learn more about the consortium, please visit this website.A recording of the full presentation is publicly available here. We look forward to continuing to work with our partners in the Dialogue to develop guidance on FPIC considerations in project closure, and to receive updates on the consortium’s broader research on social impacts and how to maximize community benefit. To learn more about the Dialogue, please visit our project website or contact Taylor Kennedy.
At RESOLVE, we’re here to tackle the toughest global challenges. The ones nobody else wants to touch. Where people are in conflict and planet problems are stuck. We’re here to unstick them. It’s not easy. It takes grit and ingenuity. And finding and working with the right partners. But we’re not called RESOLVE for nothing.
