Adapting social impact assessment to address a project's human rights impacts and risks |
| |
| Institution: | 1. Community Insights Group, Singapore;2. Faculty of Spatial Sciences, University of Groningen, Netherlands;3. Danish Institute for Human Rights, Copenhagen, Denmark;4. Faculty of Psychology, University of Lisbon, Portugal;5. Centre for Social Responsibility in Mining, University of Queensland, Australia;1. Global Sustainability Institute, Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge, UK;2. School of Water, Energy & Environment, Cranfield University, Cranfield, UK;3. Biodiversity Conservation Laboratory, Department of Environment, University of the Aegean, 81100 Mytilene, Lesbos Island, Greece;1. Agricultural Extension and Education, Shiraz University, Iran;2. Creative Industries Faculty, School of Design, Queensland University of Technology, Australia |
| |
| Abstract: | We address the weaknesses inherent in the social risk assessments undertaken for business, especially in the extractive industries. In contrast to the conventional approach that considers consequence to the company rather than to impacted communities, conformance with the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights requires that consequence to affected communities has precedence. In order for social risks to be properly assessed, we consider that: companies need to know and understand the human rights impacts of their activities; contemporary approaches to project impact and risk assessment need to be adapted to consider human rights; and environmental impact assessment (EIA) and social impact assessment (SIA) methods need to be adapted to give greater attention to impacts on human rights. Using an example from the mining, oil and gas sector, we provide a method that differentiates social risks from business risks, and we position impact assessment as an instrument that actively facilitates the improved identification, analysis and management of social risks. Practical adaptations to SIA activities and risk assessment processes are provided. Taking human rights impacts into account and using the dimensions of gravity, extent, vulnerability and remediability, we nominate criteria to assess the significance of negative social impacts. |
| |
| Keywords: | |
| 本文献已被 ScienceDirect 等数据库收录！ |
|
