This Guide helps governments and other stake holders respond to this demand for net positive benefit from the sector. Committed govern ments, mining companies, mining initiatives and civil society organizations are moving in that direction. The Guide aims to help government authorities – particularly mining, environmental and human rights authorities – to continue mov ing in the direction of managing the mining sec tor to deliver sustainable outcomes by bringing together a wide range of materials in a step-by step approach that follows the mining cycle. The government authorities responsible for govern ance of the mining sector increasingly need to have more than technical knowledge of mining regulations; they need a broad understanding of the economic, environmental, social and human rights issues at every stage of the mining cycle. They also need practical guidance on particular environmental, social and human rights risks at each step and particular tools and approaches to managing those risks and balancing competing interests. This Guide brings together promising tools and approaches that are building blocks of a more holistic approach to the environmen tal and human rights governance of the sector. It recognizes that there is often no ‘best answer’ as to how to integrate these tools and approaches to improve mining governance in each country – they must fit within each government’s overall strategy and its international obligations. The Guide in particular prompts government au thorities to: 2 Integrate the substance of environmental and human rights standards into the reg ulatory fabric of the sector (its policies, laws and regulations) to make these obli gations part and parcel of the way the sector is governed, managed and operated 2 Actively engage the affected public to par ticipate in rulemaking, licensing and monitor ing of the sector, acknowledging the value of communities’ and civil society participation in improving the governance of the mining sector and strengthening enforcement 2 Put in place a range of processes and mech anisms for holding government and min ing companies accountable to the public, including mechanisms that can help resolve disputes and provide effective remedies