Extractives, Equity and Conflict: Lessons from work at local, national and international levels

Researchers have documented that dependence on exploitation of natural resources “substantially increases the risk of civil war.” This is the curse of plenty. However, this does not have to be the case. Oil, gas, and minerals exploitation can fuel equitable development and help people raise themselves from poverty. Poorly managed exploitation of these valuable natural resources and inequitable appropriation of the enormous wealth they generate can mire a country in poverty and exacerbate underlying inequalities which can fuel corruption and violent conflict. In too many developing countries, people living near the extractive industry operations see little benefit from the extraction of this national wealth. Instead they bear a disproportionate share of the costs: environmental contamination and health risks, degraded livelihood security, ruptured social fabric and conflict