Social Sustainability

I assess how projects affect people, communities and human rights, and design measures that protect them and share benefits fairly.

Impact assessment is at the heart of my work. I assess the environmental, social and human rights impacts of projects, policies and investments, and design the measures that avoid, reduce and manage them. I am an Impact Assessment Certified Professional with the International Association for Impact Assessment (IAIA).

Safeguards are how multilateral development banks and lenders apply their own standards to the projects they finance. Impact assessment is also what national governments and regulators require before a project can go ahead. I work on both: from lender standards to national approvals in the countries where projects take place.

I plan and review resettlement so that affected households restore and improve their livelihoods.

I work on both physical and economic displacement, in line with national law and IFC Performance Standard 5. I start with a census and an inventory of land, assets and livelihoods, define eligibility and compensation at replacement cost, and agree resettlement options with the affected households and the authorities.

Compensation alone rarely restores a livelihood. I design livelihood restoration programmes, such as skills training, alternative income, access to land and support for small businesses, with particular attention to women, Indigenous peoples and other vulnerable groups. In mining regions this includes informal and artisanal miners, who often need economic resettlement before exploration or construction begins.

I then monitor whether households are at least as well off as before, adjust the programme where they are not, and carry out the completion audit that lenders and regulators require.

I design meaningful engagement that builds trust with communities, governments and partners throughout the project life cycle.

Engagement starts early, before decisions are made, and continues through construction, operation and closure. I identify who is affected and who has influence, and design engagement plans that fit the local culture, language and context.

I facilitate consultations, focus groups and roundtables with communities, government and industry, and make sure what people say is recorded, answered and reflected in project decisions. I also make sure grievance mechanisms work in practice, so concerns are resolved before they become conflicts.

I make sure women and Indigenous peoples shape the projects that affect them and share in their benefits.

I work in conjunction with the Women Sustainability Forum, an initiative of IBF International Institute for Better Futures. When clients require it, we integrate gender mainstreaming across all our services: we assess the implications for women and men of any planned action, including legislation, policies, programmes and projects, in all areas and at all levels.

With Indigenous peoples, I support culturally appropriate engagement and free, prior and informed consent, as in my work with Indigenous communities affected by diamond mining in Angola.

I design Social Impact Management Plans and monitoring frameworks that track commitments and show results.

I prepare and review the action plans that put social commitments into practice, and give an independent expert opinion on whether they are adequate.

I check that the commitments a company makes are aligned with the expectations and priorities of the communities it affects, that responsibilities, budgets and timeframes are clear, and that progress is measured with indicators people can trust. Where gaps appear, I recommend corrective actions and help report results to regulators, lenders and communities.