In our previous post we noted how participatory monitoring helps generate more trust between communities and companies with potentially controversial projects. But there are right ways to carry out these joint monitoring exercises. We’ve boiled down our experience at the IDB into three key tips that can provide a starting point for participatory monitoring. Don’t … [Read more...] about Three ways communities can help monitor projects
Environmental and Social Safeguards
What is participatory monitoring and how does it help prevent conflicts
The first part of a two-part blog series on using community members to monitor projects. Participatory monitoring is the term used to refer to engaging community members in overseeing the projects that impact their lives. It is typically used in projects that: Can potentially have significant negative environmental and social impacts (i.e. projects in the extractive … [Read more...] about What is participatory monitoring and how does it help prevent conflicts
How to reach the middle ground between indigenous worldviews and development practice
Every year, the United Nations celebrate the International Day of the World's Indigenous People on the 9th of August. This is not only an opportunity to take stock of the many challenges that development poses to indigenous people, but also of the ways that indigenous peoples themselves are challenging traditional development practices and promoting their own approaches. The … [Read more...] about How to reach the middle ground between indigenous worldviews and development practice
The benefits of drilling inland as if it were offshore
The Amazon Basin is becoming a hot spot for oil and gas exploration. New developments are mostly found in the Amazon Headwaters, extending in an arc from Venezuela through Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, western Brazil, and Bolivia. These discoveries bring great promise for economic development. Yet they also pose grave threats to indigenous forest dwellers and to the incomparable … [Read more...] about The benefits of drilling inland as if it were offshore
To Hell With Citizen Consultations
Three years ago, three colleagues and I were semi-kidnapped by a crowd of irate citizens. During half an hour, they surrounded our vehicle and held us hostage until their demands were heard. Although this was not the first occasion where I found myself in the middle of such a disturbance, it was the first in which we were the focus of the social conflict. This was ironic, … [Read more...] about To Hell With Citizen Consultations