The interaction between humanitarian non-governmental organisations and extractive industries: a perspective from Médecins Sans Frontières

Abstract

This opinion note explores some aspects of the relationship between humanitarian non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and extractive industries. Médecins sans Frontières (Doctors without Borders, MSF) has endorsed a policy of non-engagement with the corporate sector of the extractive industries, particularly when it comes to financial donations. This is coherent with MSF being first and foremost a medical organisation, and one that adheres to the humanitarian principles of independence and neutrality. For humanitarian actors, the prospect of future environmental disasters and environmental conflicts calls for the anticipation of novel encounters, not only with environmental organisations but also with the extractive sector. Unlike environmental organisations, extractive industries are prone to generating or perpetuating different forms of violence, often putting extractive companies on a par with the parties to armed conflicts. In situations where a dialogue with extractive companies would be needed to optimise care and access to victims, humanitarian organisations should carefully weigh pragmatic considerations against the risk of being co-opted as medical providers of mitigation measures.

The Extractive Industries

“…13,15 Indeed, it has been argued that the abundance of natural resources in many lower-middle-income countries is a paradoxical "resource curse" precisely because of the propensity of large extractive operations to be associated with violence. 16 Of course, as both countries illustrate, the human rights performances of corporations are inextricably linked to that of their host governments, complicating accountability for such violence, 17 and presenting challenges for how best to defuse, reduce, or prevent violence.…”