Our values have real value.
Monkey Forest Consulting believes relationships with communities must:
Be free and fair
Communities need to decide on their own terms, based on accurate information, whether they find your project acceptable. This is your company’s responsibility.
Be culturally, linguistically and educationally appropriate
This keeps project communications respectful and effective. Members of host communities should advise community relations staff, as they will have the cultural awareness, linguistic abilities and other skills needed to consult with communities in the ways in which the communities are most comfortable.
Be rooted in trust and respect
At a certain point, it becomes difficult to explain all of your project’s technical details, and the community may begin to make decisions based on faith. Communities’ faith is rooted in their trust in and respect for the company and its representatives as a result of the sincerity shown during a series of interactions. Trust is built slowly over time and cannot be rushed.
Be consistent and thorough
Once a group has indicated support for your project, the group will not necessarily remain supportive if it feels uninformed, ignored or mistreated. Distrust is also very difficult to reverse. Maintain trust above all.
Be strategic
Prioritize important stakeholders, and spend time and resources accordingly.
Be inclusive
If you are unsure whether a supportive or non-supportive group counts as a stakeholder, engage it anyway. Ignoring such a group now may make it difficult to earn trust later, when members may have misconceptions about your project.
Be empowering
Involving communities in decision-making increases their ownership of decisions that affect them. They also see their value to the company rise and their capacity to self-govern improve. Community-driven decisions are often more innovative and appropriate than those your company can devise on its own. Involve communities in making decisions about their future and the community and you will see the greatest possible benefit from your project.
Be cognizant of a project’s positive and negative impacts
Mines are disruptive events in the lives of host communities, but they can also be used as leverage points for positive social and economic change. Keep in mind that communities will have hopes and fears. Be prepared to listen to both.
Be a first-level priority
Misconceptions are difficult to dislodge; create accurate and positive perceptions before misconceptions develop.
Be forward-looking
Where does the community need to be for the next phase (exploration, construction, operation) of the project? Prepare it for each stage of the project through education, livelihood programs, and health and safety improvements (collectively called “capacity building”).
Be sustainable
Creating a relationship in which the host community comes to depend on your project is an appealing trap. Once the community sees its fate tied to your project, the more likely it is to support the project’s success. But this is dangerous when the mine closes. On whom does the community rely now? Before construction begins you must consider how the community will experience the entire lifecycle of the mine, including closure. A vibrant post-closure community is the definition of sustainability.
Be thoroughly documented
Documentation is particularly important when legal, regulatory or other challenges to the project arise. Your company should not wait until it perceives trouble to begin documenting community contact. Document early and often.
Be transparent
In the absence of information, people will make up their own stories about what is going on. Your company may be doing wonderful things to earn community trust, but if a broader audience (government, NGOs, media) doesn’t know about these achievements, they might as well not exist. Communicate freely and accurately the steps your company is taking to act responsibly.
Be respectful of or exceed provisions in local laws
This is not only a regulatory requirement, it is an investment in reputation, one of the building blocks in trust. Take regulations as starting points, not targets.
Meet or exceed standards of global excellence
Scrutiny of your project does not end at the borders of the country in which your company operates. Global standards are constantly changing and are based on emerging international practices. Knowing them and applying them will enhance your company’s reputation internationally.