Emerging Practices In Community Development Agreements

Abstract

Community Development Agreements (CDAs) have the potential to facilitate
the delivery of tangible benefits from large-scale investment projects, such as
mines or forestry concessions, to affected persons and communities. To be
effective, however, CDAs must be adapted to the local context, meaning that
no single model agreement or process will be appropriate in every situation.
Nonetheless, leading practices are emerging which can be required by
governments, voluntarily adopted by companies, and demanded by
communities. These practices are grounded in ensuring that all parties are
sufficiently informed, capacitated, and prepared to engage in meaningful
negotiations regarding how the investor’s operations should benefit local
stakeholders. This article reviews existing research on CDAs, as well as
available agreements from the extractive sector in Australia, Canada, Laos,
Papua New Guinea, Ghana and Greenland. It articulates seven broad leading
practices and how different stakeholders could work to achieve more effective
agreements.