Introduction

This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book aims to inform the key participants in extractive projects – namely, the communities, the host governments and the investors – about good practice for effective community engagement. It considers the international standards that have emerged in recent years regarding public participation, especially in respect of indigenous peoples. The book examines a mix of binding treaties, “soft law” standards and the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples 2007 which straddles both hard and soft law, containing elements of both. It presents several case studies with the aim of identifying lessons for improving community engagement in Arctic extractive industries. Each of these is quite distinct, examining different aspects of the participatory processes, to facilitate an assessment of what works in the particular context investigated.