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Fighting to be Herd: Impacts of a Copper Mine on the Semisjaur Njarg Sami Community
The report examines how a proposed copper mine in Laver would affect the Semisjaur Njarg Sami community, specifically regarding the loss of winter pastures and the threat to reindeer herding as a cultural practice. It argues that Boliden's proposed mitigation strategies, such as supplementary feeding and offering mining jobs to herders, are insufficient to compensate for the loss of traditional livelihoods. The document concludes that the mine would likely result in significant breaches of the community's property rights and individual rights to culture, necessitating a full human rights impact assessment.
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Document type: Report
Through UNEA resolution, states can show their support for Women Environmental Rights Defenders
The Legal Resources Centre and Natural Justice call for the full adoption and strengthening of a UNEA resolution to protect women environmental rights defenders, noting that women face acute risks including sexual assault and discriminatory laws while defending land and territory.
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Document type: Statement
States’ Human Rights Obligations in the Context of Climate Change
The document analyzes how the CEDAW monitors the Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (ICEDAW) to address climate change. It highlights that in 2018, the Committee made climate-related recommendations to 75% of reviewed states, focusing heavily on adaptation (44%) and procedural rights (37%), while mitigation received significantly less attention (7%). The briefing details specific state obligations across four areas: mitigation, adaptation, procedural rights, and international cooperation, emphasizing the role of General Recommendation 37 (GR37) in framing disaster risk reduction with a gender perspective.
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Document type: Briefing
An Open Letter to States and Development Financiers on the need to ensure that development interventions support the realization of human rights, safeguard human rights defenders and guarantee meaningful public participation
The Defenders in Development Campaign urges states and development finance institutions (DFIs) to integrate human rights protections into development projects, noting that defenders of land and environmental rights face extreme risks of violence and criminalization.
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Document type: Statement
Comprehensive Wealth in Canada 2018 – Measuring What Matters in the Long Term
The report finds that while Canada's GDP has grown, its comprehensive wealth—comprising produced, natural, human, financial, and social capital—has grown much more slowly and shows signs of fragility. Key concerns include a lack of growth in human capital, the depletion of market natural assets, and an increasing concentration of produced capital in housing and oil and gas infrastructure. The document advocates for the regular measurement of comprehensive wealth by Statistics Canada to better guide long-term policy decisions and address threats like climate change.
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Document type: Executive summary
Recommendations for IDB Invest’s Access to Information Policy
CIEL argues that IDB Invest's Access to Information Policy must be rooted in democratic principles and international law to protect affected communities and environmental defenders. Key recommendations include eliminating fees for information requests, extending the disclosure window for environmental and social documents to 120 days before Board approval, and ensuring the policy aligns with the Escazú Agreement. CIEL also emphasizes the need for robust protections for indigenous peoples' free, prior, and informed consent (FPIC) and the safety of environmental human rights defenders in the region.
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Document type: Statement
FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENT: LESSONS FROM SADC
The document outlines findings from a multi-year research project on FDI in SADC, highlighting that while FDI can catalyze regional trade and economic development, its success is heavily dependent on governance, policy certainty, and the transition from donor-led to private-sector-led investment. It examines the FDI regimes of South Africa, Namibia, Angola, Mozambique, and Tanzania, alongside specific analyses of the energy, transport, and agricultural sectors (specifically macadamia nuts and soybeans). The briefing concludes that regional value chains in SADC remain limited and that the primary barriers to deeper integration are trade facilitation and the lack of private sector opportunities rather than a lack of financing.
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Document type: Briefing
CHINA, JAPAN, INDIA AND THE EAST AFRICA BLUE ECONOMY
The document analyzes the engagement of China, Japan, and India in East Africa, particularly Kenya and Tanzania, highlighting the strategic importance of maritime ports and transport corridors. It details significant infrastructure projects, such as the LAPSSET Corridor and the Mombasa port upgrades, while noting a persistent trade imbalance where East African nations export raw materials and import high-value finished goods. The author argues that while these investments offer growth opportunities, they require improved governance to ensure sustainable and inclusive development.
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Document type: Policy brief
LOOKING BACK TO THE FUTURE: MINING FOR DEVELOPMENT IN AFRICA
The document examines the intersection of mining, governance, and the Fourth Industrial Revolution in Africa. It argues that while the global energy transition will double demand for minerals like copper, lithium, and cobalt, African countries must strengthen institutions to ensure these resources drive broad-based industrialisation rather than remaining as disconnected enclaves. The author analyzes specific governance failures and opportunities in South Africa, Guinea, Botswana, and Tanzania, emphasizing the need for stable legal frameworks, the protection of ecological integrity, and the formalisation of artisanal mining. It concludes that leapfrogging traditional development trajectories via renewable energy and smart technology is possible if governments prioritize inclusive institutions over the interests of politically connected elites.
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Document type: Research paper
MULTI-STAKEHOLDER INITIATIVES AND THE MEDIA
The report finds that while MSIs like the APRM, OGP, and EITI produce significant research on governance, they remain largely unknown to the general public and are often perceived as esoteric, technical exercises for elites. A media monitoring survey from mid-2016 to mid-2017 showed that the EITI has the highest media footprint, followed by the OGP, with the APRM lagging behind. The authors argue that MSIs struggle with 'open-washing,' where governments join for publicity without intending to reform, and that their reports are often too long and technical for journalists to translate into public action. To increase impact, the report recommends that MSIs move beyond merely informing the public toward mobilizing citizens through strategic alliances with social movements, using local languages and radio, and adopting a more aggressive 'naming and shaming' approach for non-compliant members.
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Document type: Report
MULTI-STAKEHOLDER INITIATIVES: WHAT HAVE WE LEARNED?
The report assesses three multi-stakeholder initiatives (MSIs)—the APRM, OGP, and EITI—finding that while they provide platforms for transparency and civil society engagement, their ability to drive fundamental governance transformation is limited by varying levels of political will, uneven implementation, and challenges in measuring direct impact.
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Document type: Report
MINING THE SOCIO-ECONOMIC BENEFITS OF THE EXTRACTIVE INDUSTRIES
The policy brief examines the intersection of the extractive industries, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and the Fourth Industrial Revolution. It argues that 'social risk' arises from a failure to achieve 'shared value'—where communities, governments, and companies all benefit from resource endowments. The authors propose the Socio-Economic Technology Initiative (SETI), an open data platform designed to aggregate structured quantitative and unstructured qualitative data to improve development planning and community engagement. Using South Africa as a case study, the document highlights failures in integrated planning and the risk of 'post-mining ghost towns' due to maturing ore bodies and increased mechanisation. It concludes that big-data analytics can reduce transaction costs for collaboration and ensure more equitable socio-economic outcomes.
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Document type: Policy brief
JOINT STATEMENT on the presentation of the report of the Open-Ended Intergovernmental Working Group on Transnational Corporations and other Business Enterprises with Respect to Human Rights
The statement advocates for a legally binding treaty to regulate transnational corporations, emphasizing that current frameworks like the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights are "gender-blind". It highlights how women disproportionately suffer from environmental degradation, extractive industry impacts, and gender-based violence linked to corporate security forces. The authors propose three requirements for the treaty: mandatory gendered impact assessments, gender-sensitive remedy mechanisms, and protection for women human rights defenders.
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Document type: Statement
Mujeres defendiendo la vida y los bienes naturales: casos de América Central
The report examines how corporate activities—including water extraction by Coca-Cola in El Salvador, hydroelectric projects in Honduras, pineapple monocultures in Costa Rica, and sugarcane production in Guatemala—disproportionately affect women's health, labor, and access to resources. It details the specific burdens placed on women, such as increased domestic labor due to water scarcity and health risks from agrotóxicos, while showcasing the emergence of women-led resistance movements and community-based research to challenge corporate power and state negligence.
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Document type: Report
Submission to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights on the Draft Guidelines on Effective Implementation of the Right to Participate in Public Affairs
The document argues that the right to participate in public affairs must be centrally linked to self-determination and access to information, particularly regarding environmental decisions and international investment treaties. It highlights the systemic marginalization of rural women and ethnic communities, the criminalization of human rights defenders, and the lack of transparency in Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) mechanisms. CIEL recommends that the guidelines mandate public participation in the initial decision to invite foreign investment, the negotiation of investment contracts, and the settlement of disputes to prevent corporate interests from overriding public interest laws and human rights.
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Document type: Statement
Re: Bill C-262
The Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment (CAPE) urges the Canadian government to enact Bill C-262, which would implement the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP). CAPE argues that UNDRIP is essential for environmental justice and health, noting that Indigenous peoples in Canada face disproportionate environmental risks, including limited access to safe drinking water and the cumulative negative impacts of resource extraction such as fracking, mining, and hydroelectric dams.
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Document type: Statement
DECLARING FREE TERRITORIES
The document outlines the process of declaring 'free territories' as a political practice of autonomy and self-determination. It provides a framework for preventive and reactive strategies, emphasizing the need for information dissemination, network organization, and propositional agendas to protect territories from extractivist models and corporate appropriation. The guide details specific regional examples, including mining-free zones in Mesoamerica, gasfield-free communities in Australia, and GMO-free regions in Europe and Costa Rica.
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Document type: Guide
DECLARACIóN DE TERRITORIOS LIBRES
The document outlines the conceptual and practical framework for declaring 'free territories' as an exercise of autonomy and human rights. It provides a strategic approach to resisting the 'extractivist model'—specifically targeting REDD+, mining, fracking, and GMOs—by documenting successful community-led initiatives across Latin America, Europe, Australia, and other regions. The guide emphasizes that these declarations are not merely legal acts but political processes requiring permanent organization, public legitimacy, and the proposal of sustainable alternatives for local development.
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Document type: Guide
LA DÉCLARATION DE TERRITOIRES LIBRES
The guide outlines the political and social process of declaring territories 'free' from specific threats, such as REDD+, mining, fracking, and GMOs. It frames these declarations as an exercise of autonomy and self-determination, providing strategic advice on prevention, information sharing, and alliance building. The document details various global case studies, including the M4 movement in Mesoamerica, anti-fracking efforts in Australia and Europe, and GMO-free initiatives in Costa Rica and the European Union, emphasizing that such declarations are tools for resisting corporate imposition and promoting sustainable, community-led development models.
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Document type: Guide
KAZAKHSTAN: UPSTREAM LINKAGES PROMOTING LOCAL PROCUREMENT THROUGH CERTIFICATION AND E-GOVERNMENT
Kazakhstan employs a mix of demand- and supply-side policies to increase local content in its mining and energy sectors. Key mechanisms include a 20% price preference for national suppliers, a mandatory e-procurement portal for transparency, and the CT-KZ certification for goods. While the government has established rigorous reporting requirements for procurement plans and implementation, the certification process has faced challenges regarding corruption, auditing difficulties across supply chains, and the reliability of local content calculations. Supply-side efforts are led by the State Program of Industrial-Innovative Development of Kazakhstan for 2015–2019, which targets secondary industrial sectors like metallurgy and mining machinery to diversify the economy.
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Document type: Case study