Primer: Granting Rights to Natural Resources

The government should encourage efficient exploration and production operations, and allocate rights transparently.

KEY MESSAGES

• Countries should put in place a reliable and consistent mechanism for keeping track of who has rights to extract minerals and access land.
• Governments can give rights to companies to extract minerals through bilateral negotiations or competitive tenders.
• Transparency is fundamental. When going through the process of awarding contracts and licenses, all bidders should have access to the same information.
• Information about the companies themselves must also be as transparent as possible, including information about who ultimately owns them.
• When companies are given rights to land, they must fairly and transparently compensate landowners.