As Uganda has sought growth in investment in the forestry sector through public-private partnerships, changes in land use in some instances have caused frictions to flare between stakeholders. In 2011, the government of Uganda claimed responsibility for the eviction of community members from Central Forest Reserves in Uganda, stating that the land had been demarcated for commercial forestry plantations and had been illegally occupied. The company operating the plantations, the New Forests Company, is an investee of the Agri-Vie Agribusiness Fund, a private equity fund supported by the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the private sector arm of the World Bank Group. In December 2011, two affected communities lodged complaints to IFC’s independent recourse mechanism, the Compliance Advisor Ombudsman (CAO). This case study tells the story of what happened next. CAO provided a neutral, impartial process for the company and affected communities to jointly explore resolution of the issues—a process that moved beyond judgment and finding fault to focus on practical, effective, and sustainable solutions for all involved. As part of the process, the focus shifted from rights violations and reparations to a forward-looking focus on sustainable financial benefits and collective development for the community. Today, the agreements reached between the parties have started a process through which community livelihoods are being enhanced and restored, and more broadly, have helped build community capacity, foster social cohesion, and promote economic independence.

A Journey Towards Solutions: A Story of Community-Company Dispute Resolution in Uganda

Resource Key: 4FWVPDLI

Document Type: Report

Creator:

Author:

  • CAO

Creators Name: {mb_resource_zotero_creatorsname}

Place: Washington D.C.

Institution: CAO (Office of the Compliance Advisor Ombudsman)

Date: 2015

Language:

As Uganda has sought growth in investment in the forestry sector through public-private partnerships, changes in land use in some instances have caused frictions to flare between stakeholders. In 2011, the government of Uganda claimed responsibility for the eviction of community members from Central Forest Reserves in Uganda, stating that the land had been demarcated for commercial forestry plantations and had been illegally occupied. The company operating the plantations, the New Forests Company, is an investee of the Agri-Vie Agribusiness Fund, a private equity fund supported by the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the private sector arm of the World Bank Group. In December 2011, two affected communities lodged complaints to IFC’s independent recourse mechanism, the Compliance Advisor Ombudsman (CAO). This case study tells the story of what happened next. CAO provided a neutral, impartial process for the company and affected communities to jointly explore resolution of the issues—a process that moved beyond judgment and finding fault to focus on practical, effective, and sustainable solutions for all involved. As part of the process, the focus shifted from rights violations and reparations to a forward-looking focus on sustainable financial benefits and collective development for the community. Today, the agreements reached between the parties have started a process through which community livelihoods are being enhanced and restored, and more broadly, have helped build community capacity, foster social cohesion, and promote economic independence.

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