The Centre for Social Responsibility in Mining's (CSRM) staff and students have in-depth expert knowledge of the extractives sector, in particular the mining sector.
They have connections across different disciplines in the Sustainable Minerals Institute and The University of Queensland (UQ) and examine issues within a broader context.
The Centre's multi-disciplinary orientation, position within UQ, and ability to conduct leading edge social science research, is what sets CSRM apart in the education and extractives sector.
8. Human rights
When the United Nations (UN) Human Rights Council endorsed the Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights in 2011, the corporate responsibility to ‘respect’ human rights became a major focal point.
Drawing on CSRM’s years of applied research in the global mining sector, our researchers are involved in human rights issues as they relate to mining’s impact on land, water and culture, with a particular focus on indigenous and tribal peoples.
CSRM is experienced in conducting collaborative research projects with human rights organisations, such as the Danish Institute for Human Rights (DIHR) and the Institute for Human Rights and Business (IHRB). The Centre is increasingly involved in conducting independent reviews on specific issues, such as free prior and informed consent (FPIC), and project-level non-judicial grievance mechanisms.