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The Guide aims to serve as a ‘How to’ guide to
help International Finance Corporation (IFC) clients and
other companies set up effective community development programs
to channel benefits to the communities located near or affected
by their operations.
Companies, as well as governments, civil society organizations
and communities themselves, have a role to play in promoting
development in the areas in which they operate. Companies
recognize that it is increasingly difficult to do business
without building good relations with communities and other
stakeholders. Good community relations involves both engaging
community members in an ongoing process of public consultation
and dialogue and demonstrating to communities that they
will derive sustainable benefits from a company’s operations.
Promoting community development, then, is a key component
of good community relations.
Though companies are beginning to acknowledge that they
have a role to play in promoting community development,
many have limited experience with community issues, particularly
when they invest in developing countries. The Guide aims
to further IFC’s mission to ‘promote private sector
investment in developing countries which will reduce poverty
and improve people’s lives.’ Its goal is to help
companies do effective community development work by drawing
on the community development experiences of some of the
world’s leading companies.
This is a draft or working document. Comments should be
sent to Shawn Miller
and Amit Nigam.
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