In July 2001, the extractive industriesreview (EIR) was initiated with the appointment of Dr. EmilSalim, former Minister of the Environment for Indonesia, aseminent person to the review. The EIR was designed to engageall stakeholders-governments, nongovernmental organizations(NGOs), indigenous peoples' organizations, affectedcommunities and community-based organizations, labor unions,industry, academia, international organizations, and theWorld Bank Group (WBG) itself-in a dialogue. The basicquestion addressed was, can extractive industries projectsbe compatible with the WBG's goals of sustainabledevelopment and poverty reduction? The EIR believes thatthere is still a role for the WBG in the oil, gas, andmining sectors-but only if its interventions allow EI tocontribute to poverty alleviation through sustainabledevelopment. And that can only happen when the rightconditions are in place. This report makes majorrecommendations on how to restore the balance in the WBG -promote pro-poor public and corporate governance in the EI,strengthen environmental and social components of WBGinterventions in these industries, respect human rights, andrebalance WBG institutional priorities. Theserecommendations have as the ultimate goal: to lift up civilsociety so it is balanced in the triangle of partnershipbetween governments, business, and civil society; to raisesocial and environmental considerations so they are balancedwith economic considerations in efforts at povertyalleviation through sustainable development; and to strivefor a human-rights-based development that balances thematerial and the spiritual goals of life.