Common use of Community Consultation Clause in Contracts

Community Consultation. Resource developers should allow the communities to define themselves and their degree of impact. Especially in indigenous communities, consulting with traditional elders or leaders may be helpful in understanding kin networks and genealogies. However, community self-identification also has some drawbacks namely, that those who define the community are often restricted by those who speak first and loudest, overshadowing more vulnerable groups within the community. For this and other reasons, an inclusive approach to engagement and consultation is considered essential (see below) During the exploration phases of their operations in Diavik, in the Northwest Territories of Canada, Rio Tinto engaged repeatedly with the surrounding community, recognising that shifting exploration involves moving into different geographical spaces and bringing new community groups into the equation. Re-engaging with the community over time and as the project changes also helped to ensure that the qualified community remains relevant and properly representative.