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The information and analysis gathered through the PLAN stage will allow Social Performance teams to develop and implement their annual stakeholder engagement processes.

Task 4 – Develop a Stakeholder Engagement Plan

A Stakeholder Engagement Plan (SEP) is a tool for planning engagement. It summarises the stakeholder analysis (See 3A.2 Guidance, Task 3), identifies the long-term objective to meet engagement purpose and principles, establishes annual milestones , and outlines actions and responsibilities to achieve them.

The SEP is a living document. It should be updated annually and reviewed on a regular basis to reflect changing site activities and contexts.

The components of a best-practice SEP are outlined in Table 3A.5. Note these components do not necessarily represent separate sections of the document - the important thing is that all these aspects are considered within the SEP.

Table 3A.5 SEP components

Approach

Stakeholder engagement objective and determining priority issues for engagement

As stated under Section 2, Review and Planning, Task 6, sites are required to identify and review long-term Social Performance objectives (i.e. typically > 10-year) objectives every five years. The purpose of the long-term social performance objectives is to define the approach to secure and maintain a social licence to operate and achieve the business objectives over the LoAP. One of those long-term objectives should be designed to meet the purpose and principles of Stakeholder Engagement, including Local Accountability. A description of the stakeholder engagement objective should be included in the SMP. In addition, as part of the M&E process for the SMP, outcomes will also be identified in order to achieve this objective.

As part of the approach to Stakeholder Engagement, annual stakeholder engagement milestones should be detailed in the SEP and will be site-specific but should reflect the seven primary functions that engagement plays in social performance (depicted in Figure 3A.1). These annual stakeholder engagement focused objectives should align with the site’s overarching social performance objectives which are detailed in the site’s Social Management Plan. Each category could have more than one annual milestone. An annual milestone relating to the Local Accountability Mechanism should also be included under ‘facilitating decision-making’. The annual milestones set by sites should always be linked to and/or contribute to the achievement of a previously identified outcome or long-term objective.

It is important to note, that given the cross-cutting nature of Stakeholder Engagement, that some annual milestones may contribute to outcomes or a long-term objective that are in the SMP. For example: the annual milestone for “Maximising Opportunities” may contribute to the outcomes identified for SED. The definitions for objectives and outcomes can be found in Section 1- Governance.

Considerations for setting annual engagement milestones are provided in Table 3A.6.

Table 3A.6 Considerations for setting stakeholder engagement milestones

Building on the annual milestones, develop a table summarising the what, who and when of the main engagement activities. The outcomes or long terms objective that the annual milestones and activities contribute to should be explicitly stated as part of the M&E processes for the SEP. Table 3A.7 provides an example framework with a worked example:

Table 3A.7 Planning engagement activities – what, who and when

²These annual “objectives” should be linked to the outcomes and overarching objectives that will be defined as part of the site-specific Theory of Change

Special measures for engaging with specific stakeholders

Describe the different types of engagement approaches that will be taken for specific groups, as needed; e.g. vulnerable groups, women, indigenous groups and powerful figures in the local community. Detailed guidance on the specific requirements for and approaches to engagement with indigenous peoples, including the development of a community engagement plan for indigenous groups, is provided in Section 4I. Indigenous Peoples.

Engaging with vulnerable groups

Examples of special measures that may be taken to address the barriers to participation for certain vulnerable groups include:

• building trust with vulnerable individuals or households by assigning the same staff person to reach out to them personally on a regular basis ('case worker' model)
• providing sensitivity training to the Social Performance staff who will be dealing directly with vulnerable groups
• conducting home visits or one-on-one versions of larger public events
• organising the same events/gatherings in several different locations, and on different days
• holding activities after work hours or on weekends, and making public events 'child friendly'
• continually stressing a commitment to confidentiality and demonstrating this commitment is met
• providing various ways for people to access information, register a grievance, ask a question, express opinions about a programme; e.g. toll-free phone numbers, in writing, in person via their regular company community liaison representative
• avoiding drawing attention to vulnerable groups or labelling them as such
• being mindful of perceived associations between the site and figures of authority or power. For example, avoid hosting events or posting information exclusively in public buildings in case a vulnerable person has had negative experiences with public authorities.

Consideration should be given to the potential vulnerability of human rights defenders and whether special measures are needed to engage them without compromising their safety. Please speak to Group Social Performance for further assistance.

Gender considerations in engagement

In certain cultural contexts it can be difficult to seek women's input and ensure their equal participation in engagement activities. While there is a responsibility to ensure the equal participation of all segments of the population, disrupting cultural protocol and gender norms can also damage stakeholder relationships. Options to help navigate this challenge include:

• Speaking to women separately - Even when women are not blocked from participating in public consultations, they may not express their true opinions or concerns, but rather echo those of their male relatives and traditional authorities. In these cases, consider organising a separate consultation for the women, where no men are present, if possible.
• Speaking to women informally - In communities where women don't typically have positions of authority and are not accustomed to expressing their own opinion, a public forum may be intimidating. Try engaging women in informal settings or via an existing women's group or association.
• Identifying issue-specific opportunities for consultation - There may be numerous opportunities to engage with women outside explicit consultation processes; for example, during health visits or in the context of developing or monitoring SED initiatives. Participation in such meetings can help to build relationships and potentially provide a safer space for women to express themselves more freely on other topics.
• Having female staff initiate engagement with women - Have male staff find a pretext to speak to the men, while female staff speak to the women. This way, the male community authorities will not feel undermined.
• Keeping traditional authority figures informed - Show respect for cultural norms and protocol by informing, or, if necessary, asking permission from the community authority or male head of household. If necessary, cite company policies and international standards as the reasons for engaging women separately.
• Including women in Local Accountability Mechanisms: When participating in local accountability mechanisms, make sure women are represented and specifically invited to participate. Make it as easy as possible for them to attend (e.g. making meetings child friendly and picking meeting times that won’t interfere with domestic tasks).

Roles and responsibilities

The SEP should outline the roles of different members of the Social Performance team, the SPMC and other functions in managing stakeholder engagement (See 3A.3 Management and Resources for further guidance)

Other functions will need to share how they plan to engage with the stakeholders they have primary responsibility for so that this information can be integrated into the overall site SEP. This can be captured using a Department Stakeholder Management Form, which is shared with the Social Performance team. The form should include the information indicated in Table 3A.8:

Table 3A.8 Example department stakeholder management form