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Australia has leveraged its vast mineral reserves to drive broad economic growth by fostering horizontal linkages, where innovations developed for the mining sector diffuse into other industries. This process was supported by a National System of Innovation, a highly skilled workforce, and a business-friendly environment rather than strict local content mandates. A key outcome is the growth of the Mining Equipment, Technology and Services (METS) sector, which now contributes nearly 7% of GDP and employs more people than the mining sector itself. The document highlights that these spillovers occurred as a by-product of supporting the overall business environment and upstream linkages, providing a model for other resource-rich nations to achieve structural transformation.

The document examines Ghana's efforts to increase local employment in its mining and oil and gas sectors. It contrasts the early, more generic approach of the mining sector with the more explicit, target-driven framework of the petroleum industry, highlighting the importance of predictability, phased quotas, and robust monitoring for foreign investment and local capacity building.

Ghana employs a combination of demand-side policies, such as targeted local procurement lists and mandatory five-year procurement plans, and supply-side initiatives like the National Supplier Development Program to increase linkages between the mining sector and local businesses. While the Minerals and Mining (General) Regulations LI 2173 provide a structured framework with financial penalties for non-compliance, the document highlights a critical lack of a precise definition for 'origin' and 'local value added' for goods. This ambiguity allows foreign firms to qualify as local simply by registering under Ghanaian law, potentially undermining industrialization goals. The government has demonstrated flexibility by iteratively expanding its local procurement list, which grew from eight products in 2014 to a projected 29 by late 2017.

The document analyzes the role of Statoil in Norway's economic development, highlighting how the state-owned enterprise was used to acquire technological expertise, manage multinational oil companies, and develop a high value-added domestic supply industry. It details the institutional evolution of Statoil, including the separation of regulatory and operational powers and the eventual transition to a publicly traded company, as a means to avoid oil-dependency and maximize state rent.

The document analyzes the challenges and initiatives related to women's participation in Papua New Guinea's extractives sector. It highlights the Women in Mining (WIM) initiative and the WIM National Action Plan 2007–2012 as strategic efforts to address gender inequality and empower women in remote areas. While some private sector programs, such as at the Lihir mine, have successfully increased female employment, the report notes that overall economic growth from minerals has not significantly reduced income poverty or social inequalities in the country.

The document analyzes the Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (B-BBEE) strategy and the 2010 Mining Charter, which mandated that by 2014, mining companies be 40% owned by Historically Disadvantaged South Africans (HDSAs) and have HDSAs in 40% of management roles. While a 2015 report indicated the industry generally exceeded black representation targets and met skills development spending goals, the framework faced challenges including complex targets and the capture of benefits by politically connected elites. A 2017 update with tougher requirements was suspended following industry criticism and fears of reduced foreign investment, as evidenced by South Africa's drop to 13th place among African mining investment destinations.

The report examines the strategies of Colombian businesses during the transition from armed conflict to peace, based on 53 interviews with business leaders. It finds that while many firms viewed the formal end of the FARC conflict as having little impact on their specific operations—often because they had already adapted to security gains between 2005 and 2014 or operated in urban areas—a minority of firms actively pursued new markets in previously off-limit territories. The study highlights that corporate engagement is heavily influenced by CEO leadership, sectoral and regional variations, and the availability of state incentives and risk-sharing mechanisms. It concludes that the 'logic of the firm' varies significantly, with some companies viewing peace as a long-term investment opportunity while others remain skeptical due to slow implementation and continuing insecurity.

The document examines Resource-for-Infrastructure (RFI) agreements, which allow resource-rich but credit-constrained developing countries to secure infrastructure funding by securitizing future mineral or oil revenues. Using the Sicomines deal in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) as a case study, the author highlights the benefits of rapid investment and reduced embezzlement risks, while warning against high costs, poor quality, and a lack of transparency. The brief recommends increasing supply-side competition, implementing third-party quality controls, and adopting conservative risk calculations to improve the outcomes of such deals.

A coalition of international organisations recommends that a proposed legally binding treaty on transnational corporations include mandatory gender impact assessments, gender-sensitive justice and remedy mechanisms, and specific protections for women human rights defenders. The statement argues that corporate activities are not gender-neutral and often cause disproportionate harms, such as gender-based violence in extractive industries, which require transformative reparations and the removal of structural barriers to justice.

The document denounces the neoliberal capitalist system and the 'destructive practices' of transnational corporations as drivers of climate injustice and disaster severity in the Global South. It specifically highlights the impact of Hurricane Irma and earthquakes in Mexico, arguing that the most vulnerable are disproportionately affected. The statement rejects 'false solutions' such as the financialization of nature and REDD, instead advocating for 'people’s solutions' including food sovereignty, agroecology, and energy sovereignty to preserve life and manage the commons.

The statement argues that climate disasters, such as Hurricane Irma and the earthquake in Mexico, are results of the neoliberal capitalist system's production and consumption patterns. It criticizes global policies that promote the privatization and financialization of nature, such as REDD and Payments for Environmental Services, as 'false solutions' that protect corporate interests. The document advocates for popular alternatives including food sovereignty, agroecology, and energy sovereignty to preserve life and ensure environmental, social, and gender justice.

The report assesses the evidence on whether investment treaties attract foreign direct investment (FDI), facilitate domestic reforms, or limit government policy space. It finds that while treaties may modestly increase FDI, particularly in high-sunk-cost sectors like mining, they often benefit foreign investors at the expense of host states through distributive effects and potential regulatory chill. The evidence on other claimed benefits, such as 'levelling the playing field' or depoliticizing disputes, is found to be limited or contradictory.

Amigos de la Tierra de América Latina y el Caribe (ATALC) condemns armed attacks against COPINH members, including Berta Zuñiga, in the Department of La Paz, Honduras. The organization links these threats to a broader context of territorial defense against an extractivist model and warns that USAID-funded development projects may be fostering community divisions to facilitate the privatization and financialization of water sources.

Friends of the Earth Latin America and the Caribbean (ATALC) condemns attacks against COPINH leaders Berta Zúñiga, Sotero Chavarría, and Asunción Martínez in Honduras. The statement links these threats to an 'extractivist model' and 'water privatization strategies' often masked as development or purification projects, specifically citing the role of USAID in generating community confrontations. ATALC calls for the Honduran government to protect indigenous and peasant defenders and urges the international community to monitor the situation to ensure social and environmental justice.

The document examines artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) in Tanzania as a critical but under-governed source of employment and income. It argues that while the sector provides a vital livelihood for approximately 1.5 million people, it is plagued by severe health and safety risks, specifically mercury poisoning and pit collapses, and environmental degradation such as deforestation. The author contends that current legislation, specifically the 2010 Mining Act, prioritizes large-scale mining (LSM) and creates bureaucratic and financial barriers that marginalize artisanal miners. To harness the sector's potential, the paper recommends lowering licensing costs, improving geological information access, and implementing context-sensitive technology rollouts, such as mercury-recycling retorts, through partnerships between the government, private sector, and international organizations.

Tanzania possesses estimated natural gas reserves of roughly 60 TCF, with the potential to generate up to $6 billion in annual revenue. While the country has established formal governance frameworks, including the Petroleum Act and the Tanzania Extractive Industries Transparency and Accountability Act, the paper argues that the actual impact on development depends on the political will to combat 'grand corruption' and the ability of civil society to hold the ruling coalition accountable. The author warns that windfall rents could incentivize elite predation and weaken the state's incentive to maintain a broad tax base, potentially destabilizing the political equilibrium.

The document examines the governance of Africa's extractive sectors, arguing that while the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) provides a valuable multi-stakeholder framework for revenue transparency, it must be complemented by national laws and regional cooperation to ensure true accountability. It highlights the gap between revenue disclosure and social spending, the challenges of beneficial ownership transparency, and the impact of political will on implementation. Case studies of Nigeria, Tanzania, and Zambia illustrate the varied success of institutionalising transparency and the persistent issues of reporting delays and exclusionary governance.

The document reports that 25 land defenders were killed in Colombia within the first 65 days of 2017, following approximately 80 deaths in 2016. It highlights specific victims, including José Antonio Anzola Tejedor, Luz Angela, and Ruth Alicia López Guisao, and argues that these killings are linked to private and transnational interests seeking territorial control for capital accumulation, extractive projects, and 'green economy' initiatives. ATALC calls on the Colombian government to end impunity and on the international community to develop concrete protection strategies for social and environmental defenders.

The document reports a surge in the killing of territory defenders in Colombia, noting 25 murders in the first 65 days of 2017 and 80 in 2016. It identifies the drivers of this violence as interests opposed to environmental justice and agents seeking capital accumulation through extractive and 'green economy' projects. ATALC demands that the Colombian government implement legal mechanisms to stop these attacks and identify perpetrators to end impunity.

The document analyzes the socio-ecological tensions arising from the Ethiopian government's plan to extract coal from the Yayu Coffee Forest Biosphere Reserve to produce electricity and chemical fertilizers. While the government views coal as a means to modernize agriculture and reduce fertilizer imports, the author highlights significant risks to the unique wild Coffea arabica populations and the livelihoods of local communities. Key impacts identified include the physical displacement of farmers, loss of biodiversity, and disruption of traditional land-use systems. The brief argues that current mining activities, though limited in scale, could cause irreversible damage if expanded without comprehensive mitigation, transparent re-investigation of impacts, and a harmonized policy approach that integrates biodiversity management with extractive industry goals.