Community Rights & Sustainable Mining

Project Overview

Through funding from the World Bank to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature – Cameroon (IUCN Cameroon), this project aimed to strengthen the capacity of governments, industry actors and local communities to better advocate for, and gain, tangible and direct benefits from mining activities on community lands, improving their livelihoods, ensuring that basic human rights are protected and that the environmental impacts of mining activities are sustainably mitigated.

The Challenge

Mining is a key development sector in Cameroon, yet Indigenous and local communities are often disproportionately affected by its impacts. Communities frequently lack the tools, knowledge, and capacity to negotiate fair agreements, protect their rights, and ensure that mining development contributes to their wellbeing rather than undermining it.

Our Approach

Through work done with the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and other local civil society organizations, we conducted comprehensive gap analyses and provided:

• Training and capacity building for industry actors, Indigenous and local communities
• Education on tools like Environmental and Social Impact Assessments (ESIA)
• Skills development for assessing mining impacts and understanding project mechanics
• Support for policy development and strengthening

Project Outcomes

The project led to the development of a new mining code that was more progressive with strong focus on sustainable development issues. The new framework incorporates:

• Strong community rights protections
• Sustainable development considerations
• Transparency and governance improvements
• Environmental safeguards
• Benefit-sharing mechanisms for local communities

Project Significance

This project demonstrates how technical support and capacity building can empower communities to participate meaningfully in mining governance, leading to more equitable and sustainable development outcomes that balance economic opportunities with social justice and environmental protection.