Multinational companies are increasingly promoted as peacebuilders. Major arguments in support of such a position emphasise both interest-based and norm/socialisation-based factors. This article uses research on large mining MNCs in eastern DRC – those that, arguably, should be most likely to build peace according to the above positions – to engage critically with the business for peace agenda. First it demonstrates the limited peacemaking, as well as active peacebuilding, activities in broader society that companies undertake.

Sierra Leone's conflict has often been characterized as a 'crisis of youth'. For some, the post-war resurgence of grassroots associational life represents the unleashing of long-suppressed youth egalitarianism, yet this analysis tends to ignore the role of international aid in providing an economic incentive for impoverished Sierra Leoneans to embrace formal association. Case study evidence also shows that politics of 'community' identification and moral economies of patronage continue to affect postwar aid.

‘Voices from the mine’ is a new 33-minute documentary film by University of Bath researcher, Dr Roy Maconachie. It focuses on resource governance in Sierra Leone's artisanal diamond mining sector, tracing the pathway of diamonds from pit to market, and documenting the stories of different stakeholders along the way. In doing so, the film depicts the challenges of local level governance in the sector, shows why benefits do not accrue to those working at the bottom of the chain, and sheds light on why it is so difficult to formalize artisanal mining.

This guide is an aid for companies to achieve positive and resilient rapports with their host communities. It provides accessible information to understand factors that have an influence on community support and how this can be measured.

This set of Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights (VPs) have been developed to help any company looking to ensure their operations are undertaken in a manner that safeguards respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms. The tools, accompanied by easy-to-use, step-by-step guides help companies:

• Reduce production delays

• Maintain “Social License to Operate”

• Gain access to financing • Lessen litigation risk

• Maintain/enhance company reputation

• Operate successfully in complex business environments

This guide offers a three-point framework for companies seeking to integrate FPIC principles into their policies and apply them in the operations. This includes

• complying with the requirements for FPIC under international and national law,

• implementing FPIC principles throughout the project life-cycle, and

• extending FPIC processes to all project-affected communities in line with good practice guidance. It also seeks to

• articulate the relevance of FPIC to company policy and practice, and

This Guide describes how human rights should be integrated into environmental, social and health impact assessments (ESHIAs). It provides an introduction to human rights and their relevance to the activities of the oil and gas industry, and briefly describes why it is important for the oil and gas industry to consider the impact that its projects and activities have on human rights.

This guide is directed at governments and companies seeking information on implementing FPIC principles in investment operations to safeguard the land rights of project-affected communities. It describes the key elements of FPIC, details steps that need to take place to ensure compliance with FPIC and lists additional resources that business enterprises can consult for further guidance on how to adhere to the principles of FPIC.

This primer provides guidance for companies who seek to ensure that risks for project-affected communities are minimised, especially for women, who can be more vulnerable than men when it comes to land tenure. It provides step by step requirements to ensure that women as well as men are aware of and benefit from a proposed land transaction. For each step, the primer includes a checklist of questions to help guide the work and a list of resources where more detailed information can be found.

This Primer provides practical guidance for companies on how to design, implement, manage, and monitor a company-based grievance mechanism. It is divided into the three main sections and associated steps:

• how to design and implement a company-based grievance mechanism,

• how to create procedures for receiving, investigating, and responding to complaints, and

• how to create procedures for monitoring and evaluating the grievance mechanism.

This Guidance sets out the steps companies involved in minerals supply chains should take to identify and address actual or potential risks in order to prevent or mitigate adverse impacts associated with their activities. It provides guidance on how they can apply due diligence for responsible supply chains of minerals from conflict-affected and high-risk areas as an on-going, proactive and reactive process through which they respect human rights and do not contribute to conflict.

This guide aims to help enterprises observe standards of responsible business conduct and undertake due diligence along agricultural supply chains in order to ensure that their operations contribute to sustainable development. It provides information on

• a model enterprise policy outlining the standards that enterprises should observe to build responsible agricultural supply chains,