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.

Using microeconomic data for Angola, this paper studies the relationship between civil war and private investment in a poor, resource abundant country.

In the light of an emerging International Financial Reporting Standard (IFRS) for the extractive industries - which could give a significant boost to global efforts to better account for revenues from the extractive industries - this report argues that such standards should require upstream extractive industry operators to disclose revenue payments on a country-by-country basis.Country-by-country reporting, this report argues, are crucial in achieving greater transparency, and will allow for better informed decisions about companies engaged in the extractive sector.

This paper presents information illustrating how trade in timber, gems, and gold is financing violent conflict, including widespread and gross human rights abuses, in Burma.

A publication from Engineers Against Poverty for the extractive industries - an eight-page briefing note to guide oil, gas and mining (OGM) companies on how they can maximise the contribution of local enterprises to the supply chain of their projects in low income countries. It provides practical guidance on three major opportunity areas to increase local enterprise participation in project supply chains:

modifying procurement policies and processes
modifying contract documentation
supporting the efficacy of supplier development programs

This paper starts from the optimistic assumption that the policies required for environmentally sustainable economic development are known but difficulties surround their implementation. The paper argues that in the low-income countries differences in the natural resource endowment are an important and hitherto neglected cause of tardy environmental policy improvements.

The growing scale of resource development activities accentuates the complexity underlying the sustainability of traditional livelihoods in Mongolia. At the same time, Mongolia experiences growing vulnerability to climatic variability and change, expressed in the form of intense desertification, water stress, and extreme dzuds.

This policy paper for the world bank addresses the question of whether countries consider their mineral wealth an asset, to be used to stimulate or enhance their economic growth potential, or are there reasons to steer an economy away from the development of the mineral sector?Reviewing the cases of 51 “mining countries” in the developing world, three conclusions can be drawn:First, in more cases than not, mining countries appear to fare better than other countries in their respective regions.

This key issue guide present some of the key themes around extractive industries and development. The guide is divided into the key extractive industry sectors: oil, diamonds and mining. Each section gives a brief introduction to the topic and examines some of the key challenges.

The corporate social responsibility (CSR) agenda has been a part of the global debate on socio-economic development for many decades. Countless claims have been made that CSR can contribute towards more inclusive development and the alleviation of poverty. This briefing examines the concept and role of CSR in the mining industry of South Africa. The mining case study reviewed here demonstrates that key implementation challenges are a lack of co-ordination and alignment with the government’s development plans, at both national and local level, coupled with weak monitoring and evaluation.

Drylands have potential for economic activity now markets are emerging for natural products such as aloe or gum Arabic. However it is difficult to take advantage of these opportunities because there is a lack of structure for this market. A regulatory framework providing an enabling environment for increasing investment in the sustainable use and management of land and natural resources would be beneficial.