Date: September 24, 2018, 1:00pm – 5:00pm
Location: Philanthropy New York, 1500 Broadway, 7th Fl, Central Park Room

By Sam Szoke-Burke
September 10, 2018

Would you sign a lease that gave your landlord “sole discretion” in deciding on how any disputes you have with them would be resolved? Would you spend months or years negotiating a contract only to have it include a clause saying it is not legally enforceable? These are the sorts of alarming features that we have seen in agreements between communities and investors seeking to community lands and resources. They were also one factor behind CCSI’s and Namati’s decision to develop new guides to help communities understand their rights and avoid exploitative agreements.

This briefing note, co-authored with the Danish Institute for Human Rights and the Sciences Po Law School Clinic, outlines a new approach to conducting human rights impact assessments (HRIAs) of business operations or projects, which brings together project-affected people, the company, and other stakeholders to jointly design and implement an assessment. The aim of this… read more

This discussion paper, co-authored with the Danish Institute for Human Rights and the Sciences Po Law School Clinic, proposes a new approach to conducting human rights impact assessments (HRIAs) of business operations or projects, which brings together project-affected people, the company, and other stakeholders to jointly design and implement an assessment. The aim of this… read more

Employment creation is often seen as a key benefit of investment in natural resources. However, this benefit sometimes falls short: job estimates may be inflated, governmental policies may fail to maximize employment generation, and, in some cases, investments may lead to net livelihood losses. A more thorough examination of employment tied to mining and agricultural… read more