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The chapter addresses the importance of free, prior and informed consent (FPIC) given the current context in Bougainville. It focuses on the fact that indigenous peoples must not only be free to give or withhold their consent to particular projects – such as Panguna – but must also be empowered to participate in the identification and assessment of, and exercise choice between, a range of alternative development options available to them.

Project and programme publications: a list of CLAHRC NWL projects conducted between 2008 and 2013, and supporting publications from the CLAHRC NWL programme (DOCX 32Â kb)

Research methods (DOCX 90Â kb)

Example of coding and theory development (DOCX 14Â kb)

Collaborative technologies such as Group Decision Support Systems were proclaimed to be able to impact the learning environments of educational institutions twenty years ago, where the Information Systems discipline was interested in determining whether they were capable of transforming the traditional methods of teaching. It was understood that these technologies were effective at transforming learning environments from a traditional approach to a collaborative one, where the learner is part of the learning process, but little has actually changed in this time. However, new generations of these collaborative technologies often emerge, and the platforms of social media are one such technology. In a similar fashion to previous collaborative technologies, social media have been proclaimed as impacting the learning environments of educational institutions through better communication and collaboration, in new and exciting ways. However, a problem that has been identified is there is a lack of understanding on whether the platforms that are enabled by social media are effective at enabling collaborative learning. This study helps improve this understanding. A design science research (DSR) approach was adopted to build an evaluation framework to be able to evaluate the effectiveness of social media enabled collaborative learning environments (SMECLEs). The evaluation framework was developed during a five year DSR study, over six design cycles. These incorporated insights from existing literature on DSR, social media, and collaborative learning, using 272 journal and conference articles. Further, data was gathered from six SMECLEs, which consisted of 857 tweets, 1439 blog posts, and 3376 blog comments. The resulting framework was then used to evaluate the six SMECLEs, where a number of trends were identified, which suggests that the tool is effective for its intended purpose. Thus, the primary contribution of this study, to both practice and the knowledge base, is the evaluation framework for social media enabled collaborative learning environments (SMECLEs).

The implementation of evidence-based treatments to deliver high-quality care is essential to meet the healthcare demands of aging populations. However, the sustainable application of recommended practice is difficult to achieve and variable outcomes well recognised. The NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement Sustainability Model (SM) was designed to help healthcare teams recognise determinants of sustainability and take action to embed new practice in routine care. This article describes a formative evaluation of the application of the SM by the National Institute for Health Research Collaboration for Leadership in Applied Health Research and Care for Northwest London (CLAHRC NWL).\ud \ud Data from project teams’ responses to the SM and formal reviews was used to assess acceptability of the SM and the extent to which it prompted teams to take action. Projects were classified as ‘engaged,’ ‘partially engaged’ and ‘non-engaged.’ Quarterly survey feedback data was used to explore reasons for variation in engagement. Score patterns were compared against formal review data and a ‘diversity of opinion’ measure was derived to assess response variance over time.\ud \ud Of the 19 teams, six were categorized as ‘engaged,’ six ‘partially engaged,’ and seven as ‘non-engaged.’ Twelve teams found the model acceptable to some extent. Diversity of opinion reduced over time. A minority of teams used the SM consistently to take action to promote sustainability but for the majority SM use was sporadic. Feedback from some team members indicates difficulty in understanding and applying the model and negative views regarding its usefulness.\ud \ud The SM is an important attempt to enable teams to systematically consider determinants of sustainability, provide timely data to assess progress, and prompt action to create conditions for sustained practice. Tools such as these need to be tested in healthcare settings to assess strengths and weaknesses and findings disseminated to aid development. This study indicates the SM provides a potentially useful approach to measuring teams’ views on the likelihood of sustainability and prompting action. Securing engagement of teams with the SM was challenging and redesign of elements may need to be considered. Capacity building and facilitation appears necessary for teams to effectively deploy the SM.

In June 2009, in what had been referred to as the 'Amazon's Tiananmen', armed police engaged in a bloody conflict with what had been a peaceful indigenous protest in Bagua, northern Peru. Several people were shot dead, and at least 200 injured. The protest was against the granting of concessions for the exploration and exploitation of gas, oil and gold to transnational companies in the Amazon region. The concerned communities protested against the adoption of national decrees allowing these concessions\ud on indigenous territories as elements of a free trade agreement with the United States of America. These events in Bagua constitute one of the most recent and widely\ud publicized confrontations in a series of similar and ongoing conflicts between indigenous communities and governments and/or corporations over exploitation of natural\ud resources in their territories in countries throughout the world.

It is now widely recognised that a profound cultural, social and spiritual relationship with their lands and territories is characteristic of indigenous peoples and fundamental to their survival. In spite of this fact, indigenous peoples have been and are repeatedly deprived of their lands, territories and resources. Present day economic imperatives arising from globalisation are putting new strains on indigenous peoples’ rights over their traditional territories. Driven by the demands of an increasingly globalised economy and the opening up of markets in developing countries to foreign direct investment, activities such as mining, logging, dam construction and mono-cropping are becoming synonymous with violations of indigenous peoples’ rights, resulting in ongoing tensions and conflicts between indigenous peoples, states and transnational corporations. Central to the realisation of indigenous peoples’ land and self-determination rights is their ability to ensure recognition and enforcement of these rights.\ud The aim of this chapter is to evaluate the potential significance of the adoption of the Declaration in the development of international legal standards regarding indigenous peoples’ land, territory and resource rights.

Initial experiences with autonomous free prior and informed consent (FPIC) protocols demonstrate their potential contribution to tackling critical shortcomings in existing law, as well as State and corporate practice, around consultation and consent. Case studies contained in this book - from the Wampis (Peru), the Juruna (Brazil) and the Embera Chami (Colombia) - show that FPIC protocols can act as tools for resistance, challenging inadequate or absent consultation processes and establishing standards and procedures with which future consultation processes must comply.