As a first step, it is important to check if your demand is something CONNEX can respond to and support you with:

 

CONNEX provides support to developing countries that

 

» are facing ongoing or upcoming (re)negotiations of large extractives contracts
» seek international and regional assistance in the process

 

The support can be requested during all phases of the negotiation process, which also includes pre- and post-negotiation activities.

 

Please note:

Support provision includes direct advice and expertise as well as capacity development activities directly related to negotiations.

 

The experts provided by the CONNEX Support Unit are not only lawyers, but also financial and industry experts, business strategy specialists, economists, environmental specialists, community development specialists, geologists, mining engineers, or any other discipline needed in the context of your specific project. To make sure that the request is most efficiently handled, we cooperate with other initiative and partner organizations.

 

If there are any questions about eligibility, please contact the CONNEX Support Unit and raise your question. We will help you immediately.

To express a first interest in getting CONNEX support, an informal or phone call is enough to start. We are ready to discuss scope and content of demands and to provide more information on how CONNEX could help you.

The official process starts with the submission of a formal request letter (via email) by the requesting government.

 

If available, please include some background information in the request letter. It is also very helpful to understand when the support will be needed. Please include the information if available. If you have a specific international expert in mind which you find suitable for the support, please also mention that. All these will help us quickly find the best way to provide you with the required support. The letter should be addressed to:

 

CONNEX Support Unit
Potsdamer Platz 10
10785 Berlin, Germany
support@connex-unit.org

Once the request letter has been received, it will go through our internal due diligence checks. This includes, among others, foreseeable human rights, environment or conflict risks connected to the request for support. The engagement of other international partners involved in the partner country will also be analyzed to identify potential synergies.

 

If the check was completed successfully, an official approval letter will be sent to you as the requesting government. The exchange of those letters serves as official agreement between the requesting government as support recipient and the CONNEX Support Unit as support provider.

 

The CONNEX Support Unit will then make suggestions on how to continue (including recommendation of experts) and jointly, the next steps will be decided.

It is our goal to get support lined up as soon as possible. Depending on your request, we may also organize a small scoping mission to clarify what kind of expertise is needed to fulfil your request.

 

Your needs and demands as requesting government serve as primary guidance throughout the process.

 

Please note:

In order to assure high quality and full integrity of our experts, all experts working under CONNEX have to sign the CONNEX Code of Conduct.

 

If you would like to know more about the recommended experts, we can provide you with more information about them. CONNEX Support activities are closely monitored through the CONNEX Support Unit and an evaluation of the support is conducted whenever a CONNEX Support activity ends.