Forests Sourcebook - HCV Resource Network

inappropriate. Thus, development projects affecting
Indigenous Peoples need to be prepared in full consultation
with affected communities and their informed participation
should be ensured during project implementation (see OP
4.10, paragraph 1, and chapter 12, Applying OP 4.10 on
Indigenous Peoples, in section II of this sourcebook).
IEG evaluations of community participation in World
Bank–assisted projects have found that when primary
stakeholders—individuals and community-based
organizations—participate in World Bank activities, development
relevance and outcomes improve. Projectsupported
activities tend to be more sustainable, and there
is less corruption because processes are more transparent
and government officials are held accountable to the people
they serve (World Bank OED 2001, 2005). Specific benefits
concerning Indigenous Peoples include the following:
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■
■
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Project development recognizes Indigenous Peoples’
rights to be consulted on, and participate in, development
efforts that affect them, whether positively or
adversely.
Participation increases the likelihood of active engagement
by affected communities and community ownership
of project activities.
Indigenous Peoples are enabled to make informed decisions
on projects that will affect them.
Project design and implementation are based on the realities
of particular communities and their involvement
with forest-related project activities, and the project is
more likely to provide culturally appropriate benefits.
Consulting with Indigenous Peoples can be demanding
and time consuming. The consultation process should include
participatory methodologies to ensure participation and voice
of marginalized social groups within affected communities, to
build community consensus, to enhance transparency, and to
ensure local ownership of the process (see box 1.15). Use of
traditional decision-making processes that are familiar to local
communities, along with skilled facilitation and capacitybuilding
activities, will usually enhance the process and outcome
(see chapter 10, Consultation and Communications in
Forest Activities, in section II of this sourcebook).
Mechanisms for ongoing participation of Indigenous
Peoples. Detailed arrangements for ongoing participation of
Indigenous Peoples and OP 4.10 complaint mechanisms
should be included in project design. Local communities’
participation must be clearly spelled out in project
preparation and implementation plans, describing the roles
Box 1.15
Brazil Santa Catarina Natural Resource
Management and Rural Poverty Reduction
Project
This project, aiming to empower local communities
to better manage their natural resources, used
innovative methods to consult with affected
Indigenous Peoples during project preparation.
Initially, an interinstitutional committee, including
representatives from government, NGOs, and
academia began working on project design with
Indigenous Peoples. A two-phased approach was
developed to carry out consultations in a way that
facilitated the communities’ informed participation
in designing the project. For the first phase,
expert facilitators already familiar with the specific
indigenous groups were contracted to develop dissemination
materials together with indigenous
students and to visit villages to present the project
and the ideas for working with Indigenous Peoples.
This laid a solid foundation for understanding
the proposed project and activities specifically
for Indigenous Peoples.
The second phase of the consultations was a
series of larger formal meetings between representatives
selected by the Indigenous Peoples, in the location
of their choice, with representatives of the project
staff. Thanks to the initial field work that
disseminated project information using culturally
appropriate methods, including indigenous languages
and specially designed graphics, the formal
meetings were very productive. The Indigenous Peoples’
representatives had had information and time
needed to better understand the project, to form
their opinions, and to make suggestions and recommendations
for project design. As a result, the
Indigenous Peoples felt their voices had been heard,
and project staff received detailed feedback on how
best to reflect Indigenous Peoples’ concerns in the
project design and Indigenous Peoples Development
Plan (the project was prepared under OD 4.20).
Source: Authors’ compilation using World Bank 2002a.
and responsibilities of various stakeholders (see chapter 12,
Applying OP 4.10 on Indigenous Peoples, in section II of this
sourcebook). Activities to build the capacity of local
communities to participate may be necessary. In projects
involving Indigenous Peoples and forests, communication and
conflict management measures help to build understanding,
42 CHAPTER 1: FORESTS FOR POVERTY REDUCTION