Countries throughout the world are rapidly urbanising, particularly in the developing world, and for the first time in human history, the majority of people today are no longer living in rural areas, but rather in cities. This report examines the worldwide phenomenon of urbanisation from the point of view of women’s housing rights.

Based on travel to diamond fields in Guinea, Sierra Leone, Angola and the DRC, the study examines the reality on the ground.

This article explains the historical development of the water regime in Indonesia and analyses the position of water rights and human rights to water under Indonesian Constitution.

Natural sand from estuary and coastal land is one of South Africa’s most valuable resources. However, there has recently been a drastic increase in uncontrolled and unauthorised sand mining activities in rivers, valleys and estuaries throughout the country. The frameworks governing small-scale sand mining in South Africa lack the necessary financial and human resource capacities to support better environmental compliance, and the enforcement mechanisms to successfully deter illegal activities are weak.

This paper analyses the reasons why Mali’s gold economy has failed to benefit the population despite its rapid growth and the boom in the gold market. It also explores the conflicts of interests between the State and the private mining companies in the country which arose from rules designed to attract foreign investment.

The Tenke Fungurume Mining (TFM) company controls a 1,600 square kilometre mining concession in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The Tenke Fungurume deposits make up one of the most important reserves of copper and cobalt in the world with abundant quantities of high assay ore.

This report looks at a consultation with a wide range of officials, members of institutions, groups and organisations, and other interested individuals living in the concession area about the impact of the TFM mine on their lives and livelihoods.

This report reviews the experience and outcomes of the funding by International Financial Institutions (IFIs) of projects in the extractive industries. It presents short case studies of experiences in the Philippines, Laos, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Romania, Colombia, Chad, Cameroon, Nigeria, Benin, Togo, Ghana, which then uses to make recommendations.

This report highlights issues discussed in the 2002 RIIA workshop. It demonstrates the challenges faced in the creation and implementation of agreements with stakeholders on economic and environmental areas of sustainable development in the extractive industry. The report highlights key issues discussed relating to maximising economic benefits and minimising negative environmental impacts.

This report explores the effects of mining in the Philippines.

This report analyses how Tanzania is failing to use its considerable mineral resources to tackle poverty, and asks: where is Tanzania’s mineral wealth going?  Gold mining is the fastest growing sector of Tanzania’s economy. Minerals now account for nearly half the country’s exports and Tanzania is Africa’s third largest gold producer.

In Africa, mining activities are undertaken by private foreign entities, which pay taxes to the state. However, mining activities are not contributing as much as they should to national economies. Despite the increase in productivity and profits, the real benefits of mining have yet to be felt by the majority of the people, especially mining communities.

China’s impressive inroads into Africa’s resources sectors over the past decade are explained largely by the timely match between a cash-loaded China in search of raw materials and a continent with a vast pool of underdeveloped mineral deposits, exploration of which has been hindered for decades by underinvestment and infrastructure bottlenecks. Chinese ‘infrastructure-for-resources’ loans are ultimately a product of the convergence of Chinese and African interests at the dawn of the 21st century.