Practical Guide: Mines and Communities (abridged version)
Publisher: American Bar Association Rule of Law Initiative
Date: 2015
Topics: Conflict Prevention, Dispute Resolution/Mediation, Extractive Resources, Monitoring and Evaluation
Countries: Guinea
The Republic of Guinea holds one-third of the world’s bauxite reserves, significant deposits of gold, diamonds, and some of the world’s most prized iron ore deposits. To help realize the promise that exploiting these minerals will improve the lives of the people of Guinea today and tomorrow, ABA ROLI has responded to local peoples’ many questions and concerns with this Guide to accompany them in their search for answers, tools and approaches.
Written in a question-and-answer format with dialogues among local people, the combined reference manual and interactive curriculum addresses:
- In Module 1, the mine life cycle, the changes it brings, how to participate in an impact assessment and monitor the management plan;
- In Module 2, the rule of law, human rights and the roles and responsibilities of each actor;
- In Module 3, conflict and violence prevention and tools supporting improved communication, negotiation and community cohesion, including consultation or community protocols and participatory land use planning;
- In Module 4, the possible benefits of mining, and tools to capture mining’s benefits, including local content strategies, community development agreements, and local financial management;
- In Module 5, ways to address and minimize impacts on land (compensation mechanisms, and resettlement), environment and cultural sites;
- In Module 6, what people can do locally to voice their concerns; how to document and monitor (including baseline studies, community-controlled impact assessments, joint participatory monitoring) and options for access to remedy locally, nationally, regionally and internationally.
In each of the Modules, the Guide draws on and summarizes relevant aspects of domestic law (not only the mining law, but also the Constitution, law of decentralization, land law, environmental protection law, water law, public health law, and more), regional and international norms, including safeguard policies and international treaties, industry best practice, all with a gendered lens, and advice and case studies from affected communities around the world.
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