Mining projects affect the health of surrounding communities by inducing environmental, economic, social and cultural changes in different population groups. Health impact assessment (HIA) offers an opportunity to manage these impacts. This paper aims to explore gender differences of impacts on the wider determinants of health as described by communities impacted by industrial gold mining and consider the implications for impact assessment. We conducted 24 gender-separated, participatory focus group discussions at three study sites in northwestern Tanzania.

This guidance paper focuses on issues that the governments of developing countries may wish to consider if they adopt a policy to tax such transfers.  In doing so, it examines and provides the language of the legislative and regulatory provisions employed by countries that have adopted such a policy to tax, and comments on the pros and cons of these provisions.

This primer gives an accessible overview of key aspects surrounding International Investment Treaties and Investor-State Dispute Settlement, and the implications for promoting a rights-based approach to governance.

This report seeks to investigate and propose mechanisms that can be used to improve the flow of benefits to mining-affected communities. The report sets out what requirements should be met for a community trust (or similar legal vehicle) to offer protection of trust assets. It sets out recommendations on the manner in which the legal document should be crafted to protect communities, and proposes that the time is ripe for regulation and clarity. Although it is focused on South Africa, it will be relevant for countries facing similar challenges in the mining and other commercial sectors.

This document is intended to promote a disciplined approach to integrated closure planning and increase the uniformity of good practice across the sector. The concepts apply equally to both large and small mining companies.

After the fall of the Soviet Union and regaining its independence, Armenia has begun a process of systemic transformation. The level and pace of socio-economic development has been influenced by internal situation as well as by country’s geopolitical position and its relations with foreign partners. The purpose of this article is to present general characteristics of foreign direct investment that has been present in Armenia since the 1990s. The author describes several key factors shaping the volume, geographical, proprietary and sectoral structure of the FDI inflows.

According to the Constitution adopted on 12 November 1995, Azerbaijan is a democratic, secular, unitary republic based on the rule of law. The country is governed by the president, who is directly elected for a seven-year term by popular vote. Azerbaijan’s vast oil reserves attract foreign investment into the country’s economy. Several major oil contracts have been signed since 1994.

The establishment and development of Special Economic Zones (SEZs) and the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) are a central part of the Thai government’s strategy to expand infrastructure and attract foreign investment. These areas have been designated for development pursuant to special legal and regulatory frameworks. SEZs can play a useful role in a country’s economic development strategy. However, in many instances, their establishment results in the dilution of legal protections for human rights and the environment.

• Despite eight years of gradual decline due to low global commodity prices, the mining sector in Lao PDR still constitutes a key source of state revenue and an important destination for foreign direct investment, especially from China, Vietnam and Thailand.

• Economic development through industrial mining has not translated into employment opportunities for local communities.

There is a growing recognition that Community Development Agreements (CDA) - if effectively implemented - can promote long-term development benefits for communities affected by mining operations as well as improve relations between extractive companies and communities. Section 139 (1) of Sierra Leone’s Mines and Minerals Act, 2009 provides that small scale or large scale mining licence holders are required to have and implement a CDA with primary host communities if their approved mining operations will or does exceed certain stipulated limits set out in the Act.

This guidance document is designed to help Intergovernmental Forum on Mining, Minerals, Metals and Sustainable Development (IGF) member states implement the IGF Mining Policy Framework (MPF). It focuses on the role that national governments can play in ensuring the effective and sustainable management of the environment and natural resources by the mining sector, using the legislative, regulatory, and policy tools and mechanisms at their disposal.

Este informe examina cómo las políticas de gestión de riesgos ambientales y sociales (ESRM, por sus siglas en inglés) de los principales bancos que financian la extracción de petróleo y gas en la Amazonía no abordan plenamente los impactos adversos de su financiamiento en las personas y la naturaleza. Durante los últimos 20 años, solamente seis bancos: Citibank, JP Morgan Chase, Itaú Unibanco, Santander, Bank of America y HSBC son responsables de casi la mitad (46%) de todo el financiamiento directo para las operaciones de petróleo y gas en la Amazonía.