BY KRISTA HENDRY AND DIANA KLEIN

While the Voluntary Principles on Security & Human Rights have grown over the past ten years to include 7 governments, 18 companies, and 9 NGOs, there has been too little focus on national-level implementation within the countries that have challenges related to security and human rights. At the same time, there has been little guidance, with the exception of a case study on Colombia, given to those in the countries on how they can encourage VPs adoption by host governments and extractive companies operating in the country.

The purpose of this document, which will be public, is to give guidance to those interested in initiating or supporting a national-level process to implement the VPs. The document lays out basic elements for consideration based on existing national-level processes. The Fund for Peace (FFP) and International Alert (IA) have joined in this effort as two of the participant NGOs in the international-level dialogue of the VPs, with funding from the Government of Norway and support from the Government of the Republic of Colombia, two of the governments formally involved in the process. This guidance note has been informed by existing in-country processes ? largely Colombia and Indonesia, as well as experience and insight gathered from participants at a workshop in Bogota in June 2010.

This guidance note should also not be viewed as overly prescriptive. As will be evident throughout this document, a national?level process will invariably be different in each area. Every country will have its own unique set of actors, challenges and opportunities.