HLP: Natural Resource Due Diligence in NRC 2021

The target audience for this guidance note prepared by the Norwegian Refugee Council is Camp Coordination and Thematic Specialists/PDMs who design and write proposals, PMs and coordinators who implement projects, global and regional staff who advice specialists and HoPs, grant managers, area managers, and country directors. This document would be useful when planning to integrate HLP due diligence within a project management cycle and identifying who on a project team should be responsible and accountable and who should be consulted and informed. Specific guidance on when HLP and Natural Resource due diligence is required in Camp Management. The case study of Cox’s Bazaar in Bangladesh provides an example of due diligence of HLP in the context of camps established on forest land with prior social forestry agreements, on lands where host communities have pre-existing rights through customary practices, parcels with multiple claimants, and disputes over rights to natural resources.

The guidance note establishes verification through Due Diligence as critical to preventing harm for all projects which require access to buildings, land, property, and other natural resources. Provides a clear and concise definition of due diligence, how due diligence should be incorporated into the project management cycle, and who should be responsible and accountable for due diligence within projects, along with who should be consulted and informed. The project management cycle is outlined as follows: Programming Phase (due diligence within core competency strategies), Formulation (collaboratively designing due diligence approach), Implementation (site-specific due diligence), and Monitoring and Evaluation (effectiveness and adherence to verification process).

Those responsible and accountable for implementing due diligence are identified as the staff managing the process and ultimately the senior management in countries, such as area managers, heads of programs and country directors. Guidance is provided for contexts in which project managers do not have technical expertise in HLP. The Bangladesh case study includes a description of how the HLP Technical Forum designed a due diligence process to assess the suitability of land for project objectives, identify and mitigate environmental risks, ensure government authorities obtained permits and adhered to regulations, and identify and verify land rights-holders to negotiate use agreements.