"Supporting civil society under pressure – lessons from natural resource exploitation", June 2017

The concept of «shrinking space» has been put forward to capture more fully the wide range of pressures and restrictions experienced by civil society... A case in point is the nexus of natural resource struggles and spaces under pressure for civil society. When affected communities attempt to influence the management of natural resources, they often experience a strong negative reaction from political and corporate actors defending their own interests... [I]t is indispensable to change the very dynamics that are so characteristic of natural resource projects... Those providing financial backing for natural resource exploitation should exercise due diligence... Responsibilities should be borne [...] also by companies’ home states which should play an active role in setting the right expectations for companies headquartered in their jurisdiction... Furthermore, without adequate access to information about extractive or infrastructure projects, meaningful participation of civil society is impossible. National laws should provide opportunities to obtain relevant information as part of the regulatory framework for companies...