NA - Descision dilemmas in the Oil and Gas industry in meeting resource rights of indigenous people in the Arctic

In preparing and planning for oil and gas exploration and production in the Arctic oil and gas companies are expected to take into account the resource rights and the cultural rights of indigenous peoples. Through international regulations the rights of i ndigenous peoples are to some extent protected and oil and gas companies must acquire licences to operate and undertake a consultation process before production can begin. This licence to operate is dependent on an understanding of how the indigenous peop le themselves, their national and local authorities and other local people define the social and environmental issues surrounding oil and gas exploration and production. In theories of corporate social responsibility the stakeholder dialogue is seen as a main tool for identifying social and cultural issues and also to find appropriate solutions that combine the interests of all stakeholders involved. In this project we want to gather the concerns of local voices in three regions of the Arctic, Alaska, Yuk on and Northwest Territories in Canada and in Norway, and to acquire a significant understanding of local experiences and perspectives in areas faced with significant current and planned oil and gas development. We are also working on the possibility to include Russia in the project. The main purpose of the project is 1) to hear the local voices of local communities and indigenous people on environmental and social issues connected to expansion of oil and gas exploration and production in the Arctic 2) to better understand how environmental and social issues are linked together 3) to compare the definitions of environmental and social issues between regions and nations 4) to discuss managerial implications of the local perspectives on property right s and social and environmental issues