The new reality of mineral development: social and cultural issues in Asiaand Pacific nations

The issues surrounding mineral development have changed dramatically within the last decade and the changes associated with dealing with the social an d cultural issues surrounding mineral development have seen the greatest ch ange. The result of all of these changes is a "New Reality of Mineral Devel opment" which requires that mineral development be a partnership alliance o f industry, government (national and local), Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs; national and international) and indigenous peoples, working within the broader context of international treaties and norms, to insure that the exploitation of a nation's resources contributes to sustainable developmen t. Central to achieving the partnership alliance and sustainable developmen t is the requirement that the traditional government-industry alliance of t he past becomes an equal partner government-industry-indigenous people NGO alliance for the future: which requires major changes in the philosophy and actions of all participants. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights res erved.