PRIO POLICY BRIEF 25

The document examines the socio-economic and environmental dynamics in Barcarena, Pará, focusing on the role of extractive industries like Norsk Hydro. It highlights a significant power imbalance between industry/government and civil society, alongside widespread public distrust in local governance. The brief recommends strengthening the Intersectoral Dialogue Forum (IDF) by improving government transparency, requiring companies to set tangible community goals, and empowering civil society to ensure equitable sustainable development.

• There is a profound lack of trust in the local government of Barcarena, with 90% of interviewees reporting little or very little confidence in the administration.
• Despite Barcarena having the third highest GDP per capita in the state of Pará, the region suffers from ongoing environmental damage, weak governance, and an inequitable distribution of economic benefits.
• A critical challenge to sustainable development is the power imbalance where civil society lacks influence compared to the local government and extractive industries such as Norsk Hydro.
• Extractive companies, specifically Hydro, are urged to move beyond mere participation in dialogue forums and instead establish tangible, measurable, and communicable goals to benefit the community.
• The local government needs to improve transparency, accountability, and the delivery of basic public services to regain community trust and effectively integrate local perspectives into policy creation.
• The Intersectoral Dialogue Forum (IDF) could be strengthened by creating a communication plan, partnering with local universities for technical support, and establishing a social fund financed by government and industry to support short-term civil society projects.

APA

Rustad, S. A., Hoelscher, K., & Silveira, G. H. (2016). PRIO POLICY BRIEF 25. Peace Research Institute Oslo. https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/9c3dc879-c271-4427-a473-8a4ea6b597f4/Rustad Hoelscher - Apoio ao dialogo de diversas PRIO Policy Brief 26-2016.pdf?inline=true

Chicago

Rustad, Siri Aas, Kristian Hoelscher, and Giselle Hoover Silveira. PRIO POLICY BRIEF 25. Peace Research Institute Oslo, 2016. https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/9c3dc879-c271-4427-a473-8a4ea6b597f4/Rustad Hoelscher - Apoio ao dialogo de diversas PRIO Policy Brief 26-2016.pdf?inline=true.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Rustad |first1=Siri Aas |last2=Hoelscher |first2=Kristian |last3=Silveira |first3=Giselle Hoover |title=PRIO POLICY BRIEF 25 |publisher=Peace Research Institute Oslo |date=2016 |url=https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/9c3dc879-c271-4427-a473-8a4ea6b597f4/Rustad Hoelscher - Apoio ao dialogo de diversas PRIO Policy Brief 26-2016.pdf?inline=true |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{rustad2016prio, author = {Rustad, Siri Aas and Hoelscher, Kristian and Silveira, Giselle Hoover}, title = {{PRIO POLICY BRIEF 25}}, institution = {Peace Research Institute Oslo}, year = {2016}, url = {https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/9c3dc879-c271-4427-a473-8a4ea6b597f4/Rustad Hoelscher - Apoio ao dialogo de diversas PRIO Policy Brief 26-2016.pdf?inline=true}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }