Community development agreements: Guidance document for the oil and gas industry

The objective of the CDA project was to develop guidance to assist in identifying the typical steps necessary for the oil and gas industry when negotiating and structuring agreements with communities. This guidance covers the following five key areas:

• Criteria for when a company would consider entering into formal agreement with a community
• Questions that should be asked at each phase of the oil and gas project life cycle
• Criteria for determining the content, structure and timeline of agreement
• Considerations for maintaining (monitoring and reporting) and exiting agreements, e.g. how milestones or other mechanisms can be constructed into CDAs to mitigate the risks associated with long-term commitments over multiple phases of development
• Considerations for engaging with vulnerable groups.