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Why MPI is in a position to create change
Grassroots Connections
MPI has strong networks with local communities and civil society, particularly in Australia and Asia Pacific regions, enabling us to support and enhance the efforts of local communities to protect their environments and rights. This ensures grassroots participation in our work, and ensures that activities are directed by those affected by the projects or activities on which our work focuses. MPI's staff work directly with locally based organisations and this ensures that our activities reflect the priorities of local communities and civil society. We also provide a link for local communities to national and international campaign networks.
Regional Asia Pacific Focus
MPI plays an important role in supporting and building capacity of civil society in the Asia Pacific, a region where large proportions of the world's population, including significant indigenous populations are located, and also the site of some of the most challenging conditions and destructive and detrimental mining practices. Substandard environmental practices, such as the dumping of mine wastes directly into rivers, oceans and seas of the Asia Pacific and the lack of capacity in the region for monitoring of company activities, poses long term threats to the globally significant environmental and natural resources, and impacts the future sustainability of communities in the region. At the same time, increasing militarism and human rights abuses disrupt and erode cultural norms and the social fabric of communities impacted by projects. MPI supports groups in these countries to protect their environment and realise their visions for sustainable futures.
Australia Based
Australia is one of the key nations in the development and operation of the minerals industry, both as the domicile for major companies and for technical expertise. The two largest mining companies in the world, by market capitalisation are incorporated in Australia. The highest proportion of capital investment in the largest mining company in the world, BHP Billiton is from Australian investors (at around 40%o of overall shareholding) and significant financial support for mining in the Asia Pacific is co-ordinated from offices of banks located in the country. This places MPI in a strategic position to have impacts upon decision makers in this sector, and create positive precedents for extractive industries globally.
Sectoral Focus
A unique strength of our work is that we take a strong sectoral approach to leverage reform by focusing case studies on the extractive minerals and energy sector. This enables us to engage in detailed and expert analysis, and to develop the relevant experience, skills and technical expertise to effectively critique current industry practices and advocate necessary reforms. Understanding the conditions necessary for change in a specific industry provides us with leverage that can set precedents for other industries and provide frameworks for generic application across international standard setting bodies.
For more information, please contact:
Techa Beaumont
Executive Director
Workphone: +61 2 9557 9019
Mobile: +61 (0) 409 318 406
Created: 13 Apr 2005 | Last updated: 13 Apr 2005
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