Document Type
Memo/Briefing Note
Publication Date
7-2020
Abstract
Investment approval processes are the gateway through which governments set the agenda for their country’s investment environment. Yet too often these processes fail to incorporate meaningful requirements regarding participation in decision-making by Indigenous and other affected communities, increasing the risk of under-performing and conflict-ridden investments.
Enabling meaningful participation by rights holders and obtaining and maintaining their Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) throughout different investment approval processes can help governments to fulfill their legal obligations, mitigate financial and political risk, and, ultimately, attract more sustainable land-based investments.
Featuring concrete guidance and drawing on case studies from Kenya, Liberia, Mexico, Peru, the Philippines, and Sierra Leone, this briefing explains how governments can incorporate FPIC and meaningful consultation into each stage of the investment, namely:
- Creating an enabling environment and attracting the right investors
- Registration of intent and screening
- Community consultations and impact assessments
- Permits, contract negotiation, and approval
- Throughout the life of the project
Disciplines
Contracts | Environmental Law | Human Rights Law | International Law | Land Use Law | Law | Natural Resources Law | Oil, Gas, and Mineral Law | Securities Law
Recommended Citation
Kelly Dudine & Sam Szoke-Burke,
Incorporating Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) into Investment Approval Processes,
(2020).
Available at:
https://scholarship.law.columbia.edu/sustainable_investment_staffpubs/5
Included in
Contracts Commons, Environmental Law Commons, Human Rights Law Commons, International Law Commons, Land Use Law Commons, Natural Resources Law Commons, Oil, Gas, and Mineral Law Commons, Securities Law Commons
Comments
For further information on incorporating FPIC into contract negotiations, see our working paper on Mechanisms for Consultation and Free, Prior and Informed Consent in the Negotiation of Investment Contracts.