Strengthening women’s position in the extractive industries
Women and men are impacted differently by extractive industries projects. Frequently, women bear a disproportionate burden of adverse impacts associated with extractive industries projects and are less likely to share in the benefits. Research and practice have demonstrated, for instance, that women are often marginalised in stakeholder engagement, that cash compensation in resettlement processes predominantly goes to men, and that operational-level grievance mechanisms inadequately address instances of sexual and gender-based violence.
Despite this, extractive industries companies frequently take a gender-neutral approach to human rights due diligence. For example, by not considering women’s caretaking responsibilities in consultation planning, or insufficiently accounting for risks of sexual and gender-based violence in security management. As a consequence, the rights of women and girls are insufficiently considered in project planning and implementation. It also means that projects miss out on a comprehensive understanding of the social context, their impacts on workers and communities, and how these can best be addressed.
Recommendations for gender-responsive due diligence
In this context, a new report by the Danish Institute for Human Rights examines key challenges, as well as good practice opportunities for practitioners working in and with the extractive industries, on how a gender-responsive approach can be embedded in project planning and implementation. In particular, the report explores how strengthened engagement with women can act as a key enabler for human rights due diligence.
The report focuses on six select dimensions of human rights due diligence in extractive industries projects: (1) community relations; (2) land acquisition and resettlement; (3) security; (4) local content; (5) grievance resolution; and (6) strategic social investment.
For each topic, a short overview of key gender issues is provided, as well as suggestions for addressing challenges and enhancing gender-responsive due diligence in practice. Further resources for practitioners working with extractive industries are provided for each topic.
Case studies from practice
To provide insights on key challenges and potential solutions in concrete project settings, a number of company case studies are included in the report. These discuss topics such as: addressing gender-based violence in indigenous communities in Bolivia; understanding women inter-tidal collectors as part of livelihood restoration in Mozambique; implementing gender-sensitive security and human rights training; working towards gender balance across areas of operation in Madagascar; women graduating from underground mining in the Philippines; and empowering women entrepreneurs in Saudi Arabia.
Learning from industry peers, as well as relevant external stakeholders, can be an important step in making company commitments to gender equality and non-discrimination a reality in practice. In this context, the challenges, good practices and case studies presented in the report seek to prompt extractive industries companies and other stakeholders to engage in conversation on how gender-responsive due diligence can be implemented in practice.
International expectations for gender equality and non-discrimination
Many leading extractive industries companies have made commitments to gender equality, as have relevant industry associations. The International Council on Mining and Metals (ICMM) and the global oil and gas industry association for environmental and social issues (IPIECA) have both committed to gender-responsive practices, including as part of their endorsement of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs) and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The importance of taking a gender-responsive approach to human rights due diligence implementation has recently been reiterated by the United Nations Working Group on Business and Human Rights, which issued a Gender Guidance for states and businesses in 2019.
Despite existing enterprise-level commitments and examples of project-level implementation, however, it is evident that extractive industries companies need to take additional steps to make their existing commitments to gender equality and non-discrimination a reality across project contexts.