To the Edge and Back: Building Relationships with a Marginalized Community in Iraq

Abstract

Abstract A consortium of international and national Iraqi oil and gas companies took operatorship of the Qarmat Ali industrial water-treatment plant, which is critical for oil production, in Southern Iraq in 2013. Due to community protests, operations shut down for 6 months as the consortium strived to find the best way to work with the community. This paper explores how the consortium achieved success with the community through constructive engagement and proactively responding to community expectations for social investment while addressing the social impacts of operations. The paper describes how the consortium developed and implemented a community relations plan, in a high-risk and conflict-affected area. From the very start of operations the local community, accustomed to using force to raise concerns, continued to use force and construction was frequently interrupted by stand-downs, gunfire, rock throwing, violence, and intimidation. The consortium established a tri-sector partnership between the consortium, civil society and the government to broker an agreement with the community, allowing the consortium to return to work. Each party had a critical role to play in establishing agreed performance goals, consultation processes, monitoring and reporting systems and collaborative activities. As the consortium delivers on its commitments, the partnership continues to build trust and cooperation, reward constructive action for mutual benefit, and improve the health, well-being and livelihoods of thousands of individuals and their families in Qarmat Ali. The findings of the paper can be used as a reference point for constructive engagement between companies and communities in high-risk and conflict-affected areas. It uses case studies to outline a structured approach to developing tri-sector partnerships to find answers to complex problems and provides a set of lessons learned.