Number of results to display per page
Search Results
32. A Smarter Dimension of a New Universal Climate Agreement?
- Author:
- Katarína Hazuchová
- Publication Date:
- 01-2016
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Global Political Trends Center
- Abstract:
- As the world approaches the middle of this century, the narratives of natural resources’ management are being newly defined, aiming to converge into new, “smarter” means of prosperity, which recognizes and integrates climate change related risks. The impacts of climate change are easily seen by the naked eye, as the ice sheets are melting ever faster, acidification of the oceans is increasing, sea level rises and extreme weather events brings casualties and economic loss around the globe. However, the means of how countries and markets have been willing or reluctant to cooperate on climate change in the context of making changes to sovereign resource management is significant. The transition to low-carbon, cleaner economies is driven by two rationales: the first objective is not to increase the world temperature by more than 2 ⁰C by the end of the century, upgrading to 1,5 ⁰C; and the second is to plan how to do so smoothly through world-wide de-carbonization. The uncertainties and fears surrounding “transformation” determine, to a certain extent, the voluntary nature of some new aspects of the current climate change regime.
- Topic:
- Climate Change, Environment, Treaties and Agreements, and Natural Resources
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
33. Mine the (Development) Gap? A Case Study
- Author:
- Lauren Konken and Geneva List
- Publication Date:
- 01-2016
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Institute for the Study of International Development, McGill University
- Abstract:
- How can strategic partnerships shape the lives and economic opportunities of communities surrounding large-scale mining operations? The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), Anglo American PLC, and TechnoServe have pioneered a pilot partnership to implement a regional development plan that leverages the resources and skills of each contributing partner. The project, Beyond Extraction: Economic Opportunities in Communities Hosting Mining Operations, develops a flexible multifaceted program based on three pillars – local procurement, workforce development, and local government capacity building. From this systemic approach, onthe-ground operations will be tailored to the needs of local municipalities surrounding select Anglo American mining operations in each participating country. Each initiative builds on nearly a decade of program conceptualization and implementation through a pre-existing partnership between Anglo American and TechnoServe, combining lessons learned and resources from four enterprise development programs that have been executed collaboratively since 2006. Overall this new strategic partnership serves to elevate and expand Anglo American’s core business practices with the goal of developing local mining communities in ways that ensure sustainability and productivity beyond the lifespan of their mining operations in the region. In this case study we discuss the development of this strategic partnership as well as the challenges it has faced prior to its approval by the IDB in the summer of 2016. Within the context of global mining operations and the subnational regions in which it plans to operate, we analyze how the program goes beyond corporate social responsibility (CSR) as a public private partnership for development (PPPD). As the IDB develops an agenda for work within the extractives sector, this pilot builds on major corporate-bank partnerships surrounding large scale mining operations with a regional focus. The project serves as a precedent and key learning exercise from a multinational perspective for all partners involved as to the challenges and opportunities of strategic partnerships in the extractive sector.
- Topic:
- Development, Natural Resources, Mining, and Banking
- Political Geography:
- South America, North America, and Global Focus
34. Consent within Consultation: Incorporating New Business Practices in the Extraction Industry
- Author:
- Luke Sauer, Jaclynn Chiodini, and Christine Duong
- Publication Date:
- 07-2015
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Centre for International Governance Innovation
- Abstract:
- Indigenous peoples within Canada and worldwide have the right to provide, withhold and/or withdraw consent to developments on their territories. The authors of this brief argue that with free, prior and informed consent (FPIC) becoming the new business standard when negotiating access to land and resources, industry leaders must adapt their practices to better accommodate indigenous rights. The authors recommend that the extractive industry should implement FPIC to the new business environment established by international rights frameworks and Canadian case law; negotiators should be trained in indigenous rights to FPIC, emphasizing the unique world views and concepts of land and resource stewardship; and the government should create policies that harmonize the duty to consult with the principles of FPIC to ensure good governance and stable business environments.
- Topic:
- Energy Policy, Environment, and Natural Resources
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
35. Answering Questions About the Commodity Slump: A Summary from the 2015 NRGI Conference
- Author:
- David Manley
- Publication Date:
- 10-2015
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Natural Resource Governance Institute
- Abstract:
- There has rarely been as large a commodity boom, with such resounding effects, as the one that has recently ended. Policy makers and commentators saw the boom as an opportunity to pull hundreds of millions of people out of poverty. But, after the crash of commodity prices, one might ask whether this opportunity been largely missed. Policymakers and citizens of resource-rich countries should draw lessons from the experience and ascertain what risks and opportunities they now face in a period of depressed prices. To contribute to this thinking, NRGI gathered more than 180 experts for two days of discussion at St. Catherine’s College, Oxford, in June 2015. Key questions addressed in this conference summary paper include: Were countries prepared for the bust? Was a lack of accountability and transparency really to blame for countries’ poor resource governance efforts? How can transparency be more useful? Has the price slump closed the door on new investment? Is there a “race to the bottom” to stem capital flight? Can we turn the crisis into an opportunity?
- Topic:
- Development, International Trade and Finance, Oil, Poverty, Natural Resources, and Financial Crisis
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
36. In Pursuit of Transparent Trading
- Publication Date:
- 10-2015
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Natural Resource Governance Institute
- Abstract:
- Commodity trading and the activities of trading companies influence economic and governance outcomes in developing countries. Typically privately owned with flexible business models, many trading companies work extensively in “high-risk” environments – including countries with weak institutions, conflicts or other challenges that scare away more risk-averse companies. Given the size of this footprint, and its prevalence in countries with high levels of corruption or poverty (or both), the quality of trading companies’ business practices is of serious concern. Trading companies play several roles through which they influence public institutions and public revenues, and they frequently build close relationships with top officials and political elites. They are major buyers of raw materials sold by governments and state-owned companies worldwide, and these transactions generate significant public revenues. Traders also provide large loans to governments, sell refined products, and enter into joint ventures with state-owned entities. They are expanding their upstream and downstream operations in developing countries as well.
- Topic:
- Economics, International Trade and Finance, Natural Resources, and Governance
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
37. Owning Up: Options for Disclosing the Identities of Beneficial Owners of Extractive Companies
- Author:
- Aaron Sayne, Erica Westenberg, and Amir Shafaie
- Publication Date:
- 08-2015
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Natural Resource Governance Institute
- Abstract:
- Global interest in ownership transparency is growing, with the G8 adopting principles on beneficial ownership; a dozen EITI countries participating in a beneficial ownership pilot; and the US, UK and EU taking steps toward making more beneficial ownership information available. The aim of such initiatives is to shed light on secret ownership structures that enable some extractive companies to evade tax payments or hide improper relationships with government officials. While a complex and opaque ownership structure is no sure sign that an extractives company is engaging in financial misconduct, the publication of beneficial ownership information can help to deter improper practices and enable detection. This briefing explores options open to countries for collecting, publishing and using information on the beneficial owners of oil, gas and mining companies. It provides background on how beneficial ownership works in the extractive industries and why it matters. The briefing also offers governments, companies and civil society members a framework for deciding what information to publish, and considers the critical question of what more disclosure could realistically achieve.
- Topic:
- Industrial Policy, International Cooperation, International Trade and Finance, Oil, and Natural Resources
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
38. From Reporting to Reform: Eleven Opportunities for Increasing EITI Impacts
- Author:
- Max George-Wagner and Erica Westenberg
- Publication Date:
- 06-2015
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Natural Resource Governance Institute
- Abstract:
- Under the EITI Standard, implementing countries are required to produce far more comprehensive reports than before; these go beyond revenue payments to include disclosures across the entire extractive industries decision chain. However, the objective of the Standard is not merely to generate more data, but rather that stakeholders will use the information to impact the governance of the sector. This EITI briefing note explores how countries are faring at meeting the EITI’s more ambitious requirements and what implementing countries can do to begin moving “from reporting to reform.” This briefing note is based on a review of the first 22 reports produced under the Standard; the review assesses both the quality of reporting, as well as the content. We found that in many respects countries have risen to the challenge and become more ambitious and comprehensive in their reporting. This has included highlighting critical deficiencies in license allocation processes, revealing politically affiliated owners of companies, and identifying significant local revenues that were never disbursed. However, a number of significant gaps remain and these are holding countries back from seeing meaningful impacts from their EITI processes. For instance, these reports have missed opportunities to inform major tax code revisions, ignored hotly debated issues of sector employment, and left stakeholders in the dark about individual extractive projects.
- Topic:
- Economics, Industrial Policy, Intelligence, Natural Resources, and Governance
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
39. NRGI Readers: A Primer Series About Resource Governance
- Publication Date:
- 04-2015
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Natural Resource Governance Institute
- Abstract:
- NRGI has created a series of short, illustrated overviews of key topics in NRGI's portfolio of work. Together they serve as a robust introduction for the lay reader to fundamental issues and concepts in resource governance. Most contain helpful figures and infographics, and each reader has a standard format: key messages, key concepts and case examples, and a final set of practitioner-orientated questions to ask. Each topic is explicitly linked to the relevant precepts of the Natural Resource Charter.
- Topic:
- Economics, Industrial Policy, Oil, Natural Resources, and Governance
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
40. Data Intelligence for 21st Century Water Management: A Report from the 2015 Aspen-Nicholas Water Forum
- Author:
- Dave Grossman, Martin Doyle, and Nicole Buckley
- Publication Date:
- 12-2015
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Aspen Institute
- Abstract:
- The 2015 Aspen-Nicholas Water Forum, brings together each year a select group of water experts with diverse knowledge - from finance and policy to technology and ecosystems - to explore the future of our water system; the role of corporations and municipalities in managing water risk; and the innovations in, and convergence of, water policy, finance, and technology to identify potential game changers. The forum this year specifically focused on water and big data to understand how the emergence of large, but dispersed, amounts of data in the water sector can best be utilized to improve the management and delivery of water for a more sustainable future. Understanding what water data we have, how we collect it, and how to standardize and integrate it may well be a prerequisite to taking action to address a wide range of water challenges.
- Topic:
- Climate Change, Environment, Science and Technology, Natural Resources, Water, and Global Markets
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus