Monkey Forest is sponsoring Ethical Corporation’s 3rd social and environmental risk management conference for oil, gas and mining March 21 and 22 in London. Attendees can use the MFC code for a discount.
MFC will be on two panels. The first looking at human rights performance in complex operating zones with BP, Chevron and the Fund For Peace. The second alongside Royal Bank of Scotland and Export Development Canada looking at Equator principles III and its implications for project finance and due diligence.
In the latest issue of Mining, People and the Environment, Monkey Forest's contributor Angus Wong writes about the International Finance Corporation (IFC) Sustainability Framework update. The Framework came into effect on January 1st, 2012.
The International Finance Corporation (IFC) has released its updated Sustainability Framework that will come into effect January 1, 2012, for projects and companies that have embraced the IFC’s environmental and social performance standards. Chief among the changes to the Sustainability Policy and Performance Standards (PS) is the increased emphasis on free, prior and informed consent. Of course, as in the past, these changes are forward-looking and only apply to projects starting in January. Also, as in the past, companies and funders will be under pressure to step up to the enhanced standards, whether they are required to or not.
How extractive companies handle stakeholder grievances about their overseas behavior is increasingly influencing global public perception about them. The recent release of the first report from Canada's "voluntary" process underlines this point.
It is increasingly clear that for companies, “getting it right” includes managing and mitigating impacts on indigenous or vulnerable people. And they’re not the only ones looking at such impacts. Last month, the UN body responsible for protecting the rights of indigenous peoples said it is looking for ways to influence how countries and companies act. If you’re not doing so already, you need to start planning now for the increased expectations that will follow the growing attention to this area.
In the July 2011 issue of Mining, People and the Environment, a quarterly supplement to The Mining Journal, Maurice Bridge and Angus Wong of Monkey Forest Consulting examine the growing requirements for FPIC and the way they are changing mining practices the world over.
On June 16th, 2011, The United Nations Human Rights Council endorsed the Guiding Principles for Business and Human Rights (Guiding Principles). The Guiding Principles outline how states and businesses should implement the three pillars set out in the “Protect, Respect and Remedy” Framework.
The International Finance Corporation Policy and Performance Standards on Social and Environmental Sustainability has been at the core of services Monkey Forest Consulting Ltd. has provided to the extractive industry worldwide. Consequently, we have been following with close interest IFC's work in contributing to the development of the social sustainability agenda. We are please to contribute to that discussion and offer the following suggestions for Phase III of the consultation process for the Sustainability Framework review and update. These comments are based on Progress Report on IFC Policy and Performance Standards on Social and Environmental Sustainability, and Access to Information Policy - December 1, 2010.
The recent endorsement by the government of Canada of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) has given rise to questions about how it will impact resource projects and indigenous groups. Canada's statement of support represents a policy changes; the government voted against the declaration in 2007 and had maintained a stance of non-support until now. The endorsement seems to imply that any project that impacts indigenous people in Canada is now required to seek free, prior and informed consent (FPIC) - an element contained within several of the Declaration's articles. But some indigenous groups and government critics point to the non-binding nature of the UNDRIP and worry that without regulatory amendments to back up the policy shift, the FPIC aspects of the UNDRIP will not be required or enforced for Canadian projects. On the other hand, government supporters and some industry stakeholders are concerned that if FPIC does become a requirement as a result of endorsing UNDRIP it will unreasonably increase project costs, because seeking consent could cause delays in project operations and require additional resources to negotiate with indigenous peoples.
March 10, 2010
Craig Ford, the Vice President of People and Environment of Inmet Mining, and Gary MacDonald, and Carolina Silva of Monkey Forest Consulting will talk about "Building community relations and community development strategies from day one: A Case study of Inmet Mining / Monkey Forest experience in a complex socio-political context." at the 2010 Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada convention in Toronto.
November 25, 2009
The Extractive Industry Transparency Initiative (EITI) today said it has chosen Monkey Forest Consulting to join a small group of expert assessors accredited to work as validators of the EITI process.
Gary MacDonald will lead a panel discussion on Adding Social Value in a Difficult Market: Experiences of Leading Consultants at the Mineral Exploration Roundup 2009, Monday, January 26, 2009 in Vancouver, BC.
Monkey Forest is sponsoring Ethical Corporation’s 3rd social and environmental risk management conference for oil, gas and mining March 21 and 22 in London. Attendees can use the MFC code for a discount.
In the latest issue of Mining, People and the Environment, Monkey Forest's contributor Angus Wong writes about the International Finance Corporation (IFC) Sustainability Framework update. The Framework came into effect on January 1st, 2012.
The International Finance Corporation (IFC) has released its updated Sustainability Framework that will come into effect January 1, 2012, for projects and companies that have embraced the IFC’s environmental and social performance standards. Chief among the changes to the Sustainability Policy and Performance Standards (PS) is the increased emphasis on free, prior and informed consent. Of course, as in the past, these changes are forward-looking and only apply to projects starting in January. Also, as in the past, companies and funders will be under pressure to step up to the enhanced standards, whether they are required to or not.
How extractive companies handle stakeholder grievances about their overseas behavior is increasingly influencing global public perception about them. The recent release of the first report from Canada's "voluntary" process underlines this point.
It is increasingly clear that for companies, “getting it right” includes managing and mitigating impacts on indigenous or vulnerable people. And they’re not the only ones looking at such impacts. Last month, the UN body responsible for protecting the rights of indigenous peoples said it is looking for ways to influence how countries and companies act. If you’re not doing so already, you need to start planning now for the increased expectations that will follow the growing attention to this area.
In the July 2011 issue of Mining, People and the Environment, a quarterly supplement to The Mining Journal, Maurice Bridge and Angus Wong of Monkey Forest Consulting examine the growing requirements for FPIC and the way they are changing mining practices the world over.
On June 16th, 2011, The United Nations Human Rights Council endorsed the Guiding Principles for Business and Human Rights (Guiding Principles). The Guiding Principles outline how states and businesses should implement the three pillars set out in the “Protect, Respect and Remedy” Framework.
The International Finance Corporation Policy and Performance Standards on Social and Environmental Sustainability has been at the core of services Monkey Forest Consulting Ltd. has provided to the extractive industry worldwide. Consequently, we have been following with close interest IFC's work in contributing to the development of the social sustainability agenda. We are please to contribute to that discussion and offer the following suggestions for Phase III of the consultation process for the Sustainability Framework review and update. These comments are based on Progress Report on IFC Policy and Performance Standards on Social and Environmental Sustainability, and Access to Information Policy - December 1, 2010.
March 10, 2010
November 25, 2009
Gary MacDonald will lead a panel discussion on Adding Social Value in a Difficult Market: Experiences of Leading Consultants at the Mineral Exploration Roundup 2009, Monday, January 26, 2009 in Vancouver, BC.