Introduction

Introduction

This paper tries to answer four questions:

1) What are the major initiatives of the past five years, aimed at "reforming" mining/natural resource industries?

2) What circumstances - and which "actors" - are propelling these initiatives?

Are they significantly different from what -or who - has gone before, and - if so - in what respects?

3) How far are the measures now proposed, driven by (non-mining) agencies (government, multilateral and NGO)? Conversely, to what extent have natural resource companies tried to influence - or succeeded in influencing - the agendas of these other agencies?

4) There is no doubt that the major - and best funded - current initiative is MMSD (Mines, Minerals and Sustainable Development project). However none of them - perhaps especially MMSD - has gained widespread support from mining-affected communities or their bona fide support groups.

Are these initiatives therefore to be rejected out of hand - or can alternatives be proposed, which may be incorporated, or allied to, existing proposals?

As you read this paper, hopefully you will not only gain a greater understanding of the institutional processes which are shaping the assault on traditional community (discovering which are the prime movers - for example, does the UN look for support from industry in implementing its Charter and protocols, or are multinationals seeking to subvert the world's biggest public agency to their own agendas?). In particular, hopefully you will gain a knowledge of those influential (secondary power level) organisations (primarily NGO's) which have already made alliances with corporate power, and thus be able to judge their actions against their intentions