Prizma

IFC launched a second round of public consultation to update the IFC Performance Standards (2006), which provide also the basis for the Equator Principles. In mid June 2010, the first meeting was held in Washington DC. It attracted over 5o participants from Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) and industry.What are the emerging themes? (more…)

Inaugural sustainability reports, even if they don’t hit all the right notes, empower internal champions and create opportunities for better stakeholder engagement and transparency, and can help drive  performance improvements. But are you not intrigued to find out what catalyzed and motivated Perenco, an independent oil and gas company operating in places like Gabon, DR Congo, Peru and Guatemala, to create its first CSR report? Is it perhaps related to the recent creation of a $2.8bn reserve-based lending involving Equator Banks, which will also assist with completion of a controversial oil pipeline in Peru’s rainforests? (more…)

The Office of the Extractive Sector Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Counsellor launched consultations on its new dispute-resolution mechanism. Will this – and the role of the CSR Councellor more generally - make the controversial Bill C-300 obsolete? (more…)

As noted earlier, GRI and ICMM launched the new GRI Metals and Mining Sector Supplement during the annual mining convention of PDAC in early March 2010. The new Sector Supplement integrated many references to the IFC Performance Standards and suggests increasing convergence amongst these internationally recognized guidelines. (more…)

The IFC Performance Standards on Social & Environmental Sustainability have emerged as the de facto benchmark for developing and financing responsible extractive projects in emerging markets. The Canadian government’s March 2009 CSR Strategy for the Canadian International Extractive Sector, Building the Canadian Advantage, also includes the IFC Performance Standards. In this article, I review the genesis, significance and key challenges associated with the IFC Performance Standards, using also input from participants of over 20 workshops and training courses delivered in Canada, China, Panama, Peru, UK and Venezuela since 2006. (more…)

CEE Bankwatch, an advocacy NGO, has been scoring PR points against the European Bank (EBRD) and its involvement in gold mining projects in Armenia, Bulgaria and Kyrgyzstan. Would EBRD’s exit resolve the allegations and concerns raised by Bankwatch – and existing legacies associated with ‘brownfield mining’? (more…)

Canadian CSR Centre for Extractive Sector Launched

The Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum (CIM)  is tasked with spearheading the development of the Centre for Excellence in Corporate Social Responsibility, which was launched today. Will it be able to transcend beyond a one‐stop‐web-shop with the latest information on CSR?  (more…)

The Guide to Human Rights Impact Assessment and Management (HRIA) was published in pilot form in June 2007. It was developed by the IBLF and the IFC, in collaboration with the UN Global Compact. The Guide provides a methodology for conducting a HRIA.  Today marks the end of the public consultation period to update the ‘road tested’ pilot HRIA Guide. (more…)

During a recent workshop on IFC Performance Standards & Equator Principles I delivered in Lima, Peru, some of our discussions revolved around the concept of Broad Community Support. These conversations took us on an interesting journey making stops at recent headlines about allegation of human rights abuses in the extractive sector in Peru. (more…)