IGF Guidance for Governments: Improving legal frameworks for environmental and social impact assessment and management

The IGF Secretariat’s Guidance for Governments: Improving legal frameworks for environmental and social impact assessment and management offers IGF member states a summary of international best practices in legal frameworks for environmental and social impact assessment (ESIA) and related management plans for large-scale mines.

It includes examples, strategies, and tools to aid in evaluating and improving legal frameworks and environmental and social aspects of resource governance.

When improperly regulated, mining activities have the potential to harm the environment and disrupt social and economic structures within a community instead of capturing the many benefits that can flow from the sector. ESIAs and related tools, such as environmental and social management plans, are thus critical components in legal frameworks for mining activities, both to minimize the negative impacts and to optimize the positive contributions of the mining sector.

With mining activities taking place in jurisdictions with varying levels of social and environmental protection, a survey of best practices for the governance of environmental and social impacts and the benefits of mining through all phases of the life cycle of the mine, from exploration through the postmining transition, is fundamental. When the legal framework adequately addresses the timing, scope, implementation, monitoring, and enforcement processes of ESIA and related management frameworks, governments and other stakeholders have a roadmap for managing impacts and optimizing social and economic benefits from the mining sector.