Developing and Using Community Protocols

The document outlines the process of creating community protocols—codified rules and procedures based on customary law—to help communities manage interactions with external parties like governments and investors. It details the role of facilitators, the common elements of a protocol (such as identity, values, and governance), and strategies for using these documents for advocacy, negotiation, and conflict resolution. A significant focus is placed on ensuring Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) and challenging top-down impact assessments through community-led evidence.

• Community protocols serve as a means to articulate customary rules and procedures in forms that external parties can understand, moving away from top-down approaches that disregard traditional laws.
• Protocols can be developed for either aspirational purposes, such as ensuring equitable benefit sharing from desired infrastructure, or defensive purposes, such as opposing projects detrimental to territories and wellbeing.
• The development process is community-driven and typically involves identifying the community, training catalysts, documenting information through workshops, and finalizing the protocol for approval and publication.
• Communities can use protocols to 'put external actors on notice' by proactively informing them of their rights and expectations, which can encourage accountability and prevent conflict.
• Community protocols can be used to challenge the accuracy of professional impact assessments by providing factual evidence of land use, governance structures, and health impacts.
• Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) is a minimum international law standard requiring that communities be free from pressure, informed in their own language, and have the right to say 'no' at any stage of a project.
• Practical applications of protocols include the Tanchara community in Ghana using a Community Health Impact Assessment Tool to engage government authorities regarding gold mining, and 30 Afro-Colombian communities in Choco using a protocol to guide dialogue with mining companies.

APA

Natural Justice (n.d.). Developing and Using Community Protocols. https://naturaljustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/toolbox_3.pdf

Chicago

Natural Justice. Developing and Using Community Protocols. n.d. https://naturaljustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/toolbox_3.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Natural Justice |title=Developing and Using Community Protocols |url=https://naturaljustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/toolbox_3.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{naturaljusticenddeveloping, author = {{Natural Justice}}, title = {{Developing and Using Community Protocols}}, institution = {Natural Justice}, url = {https://naturaljustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/toolbox_3.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }