Cadre juridique de l’Évaluation d’Impact Environnemental et Social dans le Secteur Minier

The report analyzes the legal frameworks of 22 IGF member countries to identify systemic gaps in the implementation of Environmental and Social Impact Assessments (ESIAs) in mining. Key issues include ambiguity over the rights of exploration permit holders to transition to exploitation, inadequate timing for submitting closure plans and financial guarantees, and a lack of coordination between mining and environmental authorities. The document argues for a shift toward using ESIAs as genuine decision-making tools that can lead to project rejection, the adoption of Strategic Environmental Assessments (SEAs) to identify sensitive zones, and the strengthening of community participation and independent monitoring to ensure sustainable mine closure.

• There is a fundamental tension between two views of the ESIA's role: one where it merely optimizes a project's technical and financial options without the possibility of rejection, and another where it serves as a decision-making tool allowing the state to refuse a project if residual impacts are unacceptable.
• Many legal frameworks create ambiguity regarding whether a research permit holder has a guaranteed right to an exploitation permit, which can lead to international investment arbitrations based on 'legitimate expectations'.
• The absence of Strategic Environmental Assessments (SEAs) often results in exploration permits being granted in sensitive areas, creating high risks of project rejection at the ESIA stage and potential financial losses for investors.
• Chronological gaps exist in the submission of critical documents; some jurisdictions do not require a closure and rehabilitation plan or financial guarantees before exploitation begins, contrary to international best practices.
• Coordination failures between the authority approving the ESIA and the authority granting the mining permit can lead to contradictory decisions and legal disputes.
• Administrative processes are often flawed by excessively short review periods and 'automatic approvals,' where an ESIA is deemed accepted if the government remains silent for a set period.
• Economic impacts and climate change are frequently the weakest components of ESIAs, often because the teams conducting the assessments lack economists.
• Community participation is often superficial, occurring after the ESIA has been provisionally validated rather than during its development, and communities rarely have a legal veto over projects.
• Monitoring and enforcement are ineffective in many developing countries due to a lack of human and financial resources, leading to a reliance on infrequent or company-funded inspections.
• Financial guarantees for mine closure are often poorly managed, with some countries using internal accounting provisions or state-managed funds that risk being inaccessible during a company's bankruptcy.

APA

Nikièma, H. S., Brauch, M. D., Bernasconi, N., Mann, H., Naré, C., Ruete, M., Samoura, K., Ouédraogo, L. F., & Ribeiro, D. (2019). Cadre juridique de l’Évaluation d’Impact Environnemental et Social dans le Secteur Minier. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/igf-esia-background-fr.pdf

Chicago

Nikièma, H. Suzy, Martin Dietrich Brauch, Nathalie Bernasconi, Howard Mann, Clémence Naré, Marina Ruete, Karim Samoura, Landry F. Ouédraogo, and Deisy Ribeiro. Cadre juridique de l’Évaluation d’Impact Environnemental et Social dans le Secteur Minier. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2019. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/igf-esia-background-fr.pdf.

Wikipedia

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BibTeX

@techreport{nikima2019cadre, author = {Nikièma, H. Suzy and Brauch, Martin Dietrich and Bernasconi, Nathalie and Mann, Howard and Naré, Clémence and Ruete, Marina and Samoura, Karim and Ouédraogo, Landry F. and Ribeiro, Deisy}, title = {{Cadre juridique de l’Évaluation d’Impact Environnemental et Social dans le Secteur Minier}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2019}, month = jan, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/igf-esia-background-fr.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }