Conflict-Sensitive Business Practice: Guidance for Extractive Industries
Publisher: International Alert
Author(s): Jessica Banfield, Adam Barbolet, Rachel Goldwyn and Nick Killick
Date: 2005
Topics: Extractive Resources, Programming
Oil, mining and natural gas companies often invest in conflict-prone societies – the nature of their business setting some limits on choice of risk profile. Most companies have no interest in exacerbating instability or violence, or otherwise becoming caught up in it. Experience shows however, that all too often they lack the skills and experience to avoid doing so.
Despite advances in political risk methodologies and environmental and social impact assessment (ESIA) standards, and the wider corporate social responsibility sphere, fundamental gaps in company practice remain.1 These include capacity to understand existing or potential conflict and its actors, causes and consequences accurately; and to grasp fully the spectrum of influence that a company’s investment may have on such conflict, directly, indirectly and at varying levels. Conflict-Sensitive Business Practice: Guidance for Extractive Industries aims to help close this capacity gap and results from several years’ research and development led by International Alert, a London-based peacebuilding non-governmental organisation (NGO).