Governance failure in natural resource management is often associated with the pursuit of narrow benefits made possible through corruption. This issue paper discusses the function of multi-stakeholder processes in natural resource management, with a view to considering their possible anti-corruption effects. The paper highlights the following findings:
corruption has been allowed to continue in many countries because some of the stakeholders in the given sector benefit from the crime
therefore, the activities of a relevant multi-stakeholder group (MSG) will have to change these players’ incentives to have a convincing anti-corruption effect
generally, an MSG may play a role in raising the standards of production activities, securing the protection of vulnerable groups or species, or promoting access to information about resource revenues
moreover, MSGs can help reaching common understanding of how the government needs to develop the best possible sector regulations and the unique circumstances and realities of production activities
yet, it is important to realise that the establishment of an MSG should not be the only approach towards building accountability
in addition, financial support should be offered only after appropriate scenario analysis and study of the actors’ roles and incentives
Still, the document underlines that the voice of those exposed to the consequences of natural resource production should be heard in the development of sector governance initiatives.