Chemically induced hearing loss: have you assessed the risks?
by Dr. Rhian Cope, Tim Trewin
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The social component of ESG is often the most complex aspect to address on any project. That complexity comes about because social issues are invariably rooted in personal ethics, morals, emotions, and politics, rather than any hard science. Nowhere is this more apparent than with compulsory land acquisition and resettlement.
SLR has extensive experience in social management and resettlement planning. Consultants are typically asked to prepare Resettlement Action Plans (RAP), with the client or project sponsor then building its own internal resources for the implementation of the RAP. It is at this juncture that the greatest challenges become apparent.
The reality of engaging with communities, securing agreements, building new homes, and paying compensation does not always (in fact rarely) run to script as prepared in the RAP. It is becoming increasingly common for clients to return to their preferred consultants to assist with implementation in order to address these immediate challenges.
The following are some of the insights we have gained from both planning and implementing major resettlement programmes for large natural resource projects:
At the most fundamental level any resettlement plan needs to take into consideration that it is deeply personal to affected stakeholders. The lives of individuals, families, and even entire communities are often irrevocably, and at times dramatically, changed during the resettlement process. In an ideal world this change should be for the better.
This is a principle that can get lost in legal procedure, management planning, budgeting, and schedules. Enlightened clients acknowledge this principle and work with their preferred consultants to provide long-term support and ensure that this personal principle is met.
If you’d like to learn more, or discuss a project, please get in touch.
Written by Marco da Cunha (Associate Social Consultant) and Greg Huggins (Technical Director - Social Science)
by Dr. Rhian Cope, Tim Trewin
by Pete Watkins
by Eoin Noble, Daniel Ashton