CBI Helps OECD Member Governments Mediate Corporate-Community Disputes

The Consensus Building Institute (CBI) recently concluded the development of a Mediation Manual for three OECD member governments. Commissioned by the Netherlands, Norway, and the United Kingdom, the Manual aims to help these countries (and other interested governments) to more effectively use mediation to resolve concerns and complaints around corporate-community disputes.

The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) is a global umbrella for collaboration among the world’s industrialized nations. OECD governments work to ensure that multinational corporations based within their countries meet high standards for social and environmental performance.

One tool the OECD uses to promote high performance is the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises. The Guidelines advise companies on how to develop their own policies and procedures on environmental management, social responsibility, labor relations, human rights, and other issues. The Guidelines also establish a network of National Contact Points (NCPs) in OECD member countries. The NCPs are responsible for responding to concerns and grievances about the performance of companies based in their countries, including concerns and grievances voiced by stakeholders in other countries where those corporations are operating.

CBI presented the Mediation Manual at the Annual NCP Meeting in June 2012, providing the first opportunity to conduct a focused peer learning and capacity building session on mediation under the newly revised Guidelines, and confirming the importance of having NCPs regularly exchange ideas and questions about effective methods of informal problem-solving for issues arising under the Guidelines.

CBI will also provide mediation training for the NCPs. Lawrence Susskind, CBI Founder and Chief Knowledge Officer, and Mil Niepold, CBI Senior Practitioner, will lead a mediation workshop in Salzburg, Austria, in September 2012. The workshop, hosted by the Austrian government, will provide a further opportunity for NCPs to share their insights and strengthen their capacities to effectively implement the Guidelines.

Download the complete NCP Mediation Manual at right.