Breaking Ground

The World Resources Institute (WRI) report 'Breaking Ground' analyzes community engagement standards for extractive and infrastructure projects. It identifies gaps in the application of existing guidance and proposes seven Principles for Effective Community Engagement to improve project viability and mitigate social and environmental risks.

• WRI developed seven Principles for Effective Community Engagement to help companies and governments identify solutions to engagement challenges and to empower local communities to provide meaningful input into project design and implementation. These principles are: preparing communities before engagement, determining the required level of engagement, integrating engagement into all project phases, including traditionally excluded stakeholders, gaining free, prior and informed consent, resolving grievances through dialogue, and promoting participatory monitoring by local communities.
• The report recommends that project proponents prioritize the public dissemination of best practices, including evidence of how community engagement creates value for companies, using the seven principles as a framework.
• Financial institutions are encouraged to link community engagement with project risk management and increase public reporting. Specifically, the report suggests that the International Finance Corporation (IFC) should routinely disclose how it determines "broad community support" for projects, and that Equator Principles financial institutions should disclose projects where IFC Performance Standards are applied.
• Effective community engagement that is inclusive, accountable, and transparent allows proponents to better identify and mitigate impacts and shape projects to fit local conditions, while allowing communities to influence benefits and development priorities, thereby creating local ownership and project viability.
• WRI's analysis found that despite numerous existing reports and manuals, there are significant gaps in the knowledge base and the practical application of community engagement standards, with project proponents often struggling to apply existing guidance effectively.

APA

World Resources Institute (n.d.). Breaking Ground. https://www.wri.org/research/breaking-ground

Chicago

World Resources Institute. Breaking Ground. n.d. https://www.wri.org/research/breaking-ground.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Resources Institute |title=Breaking Ground |url=https://www.wri.org/research/breaking-ground |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldresourcesinstitutendbreaking, author = {{World Resources Institute}}, title = {{Breaking Ground}}, institution = {World Resources Institute}, url = {https://www.wri.org/research/breaking-ground}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }