Social Assessment

The success of infrastructure projects largely depends on the involvement of communities as primary partners in the projects’ consolidation. This is why gmi Consulting has developed a field work methodology to incorporate Social Impact Assessments that enables us to make contact with communities in a non-invasive way to find out about their needs, how the project could impact them, and identify beforehand the possible social conflicts that could jeopardize a project’s development. We also create a stakeholders map and conduct a thorough analysis of their interests and of the possible positive or negative influence of the project’s execution.

We design Social Management and Investment Plans within the framework of our clients’ social responsibility policies in order to prevent potential conflicts and address the genuine interests and needs of the inhabitants. This information reduces to a minimum the likelihood that parties with extraneous interests could negatively influence a project’s success.

Our work methodology is implemented according to best international practices, taking always into account an unconditional respect for human rights and in particular the rights of indigenous peoples, ensuring the population’s voluntary involvement, providing them with a great deal of transparent information, and using a gender approach so as to ensure the unrestricted participation of women at all times.

We comply with the protocols established in the Equator Principles and by the Performance Standards on Environmental and Social Sustainability issued by the World Bank’s International Finance Corporation; the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights; the Action Protocols of the Inter-American Development Bank; and the applicable principles of the International Labour Organization’s Convention concerning Indigenous and Tribal Peoples in Independent Countries, among others.