Vale seeks alternatives to avoid or minimize involuntary resettlement. However, when it cannot be avoided, the Company acts in accordance with its Involuntary Resettlement Standard, which establishes the requirements needed to ensure that Company-led processes are aligned with international sustainability standards, such as the International Finance Corporation (IFC) Performance Standard 5 and the World Bank Environmental and Social Standard (ESS) 5.

Involuntary resettlement is a process intended to prevent social and environmental impacts and restore the livelihoods of individuals and families who are temporarily or permanently displaced as a result of the Company’s activities. It is carried out through a planned process with the participation of affected families in decision-making. Emergency involuntary resettlement is avoided and is undertaken only when families are exposed to risks that threaten their physical safety.

In 2025, 362 families were involved in involuntary resettlement processes in Brazil, all of them in the Southeast region. There were no involuntary resettlement processes in the country’s North region. Of the total, 231 families were receiving temporary assistance, 67 families had received permanent resettlement and 64 families were undergoing an assessment of alternatives to minimize the need for resettlement. More information about Vale’s involuntary resettlement processes is available in the 2025 Annual Report.

Involuntary Resettlement Standard

Objective 

Prevent social and environmental impacts and restore the livelihoods of individuals and families who are temporarily or permanently displaced as a result of the Company’s activities.   
 
Scope  

  • Development, expansion and/or modification of projects and/or operational structures;
  • Company activities that pose risks to the physical safety, health and well-being of communities. 


References 

Human Rights Policy 

Sustainability Policy 

 
Eligibility 
All households with ties to urban or rural land, based on an assessment of local conditions and socioeconomic vulnerability. The involuntary resettlement procedure applies to any person affected by physical and/or economic displacement resulting from emergency evacuations.

Photo: Vale Archive

Guidelines 

  •  Undertake involuntary resettlement only after alternatives to avoid or minimize the loss of access to or use of land have been assessed.
     
  • Carry out involuntary resettlement in accordance with the specific requirements of applicable local legislation.
  • Take local sociocultural characteristics into account, including specific measures to restore assets, community organizations and collective practices.
     
  • Adopt measures to ensure the participation of affected families throughout all stages of the process, reducing asymmetries in access to information and negotiating capacity.
     
  • Provide accessible, predictable, transparent, legitimate and equitable listening and response channels to address concerns, requests and complaints throughout all stages of the process.
     
  • Provide assistance measures that ensure the restoration of livelihoods to conditions equivalent to or better than those that existed previously.

Stages and Activities 

Stage 1 – Conduct preliminary assessments and evaluate scenarios to support the identification of alternative project locations and/or engineering solutions to avoid and/or minimize involuntary resettlement.

If resettlement cannot be avoided:
Stage 2 – Assess the livelihoods of the families to be affected by the involuntary resettlement. The assessment should cover aspects related to land access, use and occupation, housing conditions, community ties and collective practices, access to employment and income opportunities, and access to essential healthcare, education and social protection services. Other aspects should be considered according to the local context.

Stage 3 – Develop a proposed Involuntary Resettlement Action Plan based on the assessment’s findings. This plan should include the measures required to restore the livelihoods of the affected families. Cash compensation alone should be avoided.

Stage 4 – Agree on the Involuntary Resettlement Action Plan’s measures through a dialogue forum that ensures the representation and participation of the affected families, with particular attention to the most vulnerable. In cases involving collective resettlement, families must be involved in selecting the host site.

Stage 5 – Implement the Involuntary Resettlement Action Plan as agreed with the affected families to facilitate access to land, adequate housing, employment and income opportunities, community ties, and essential healthcare, education and social protection services. Monitor and evaluate the outcomes of the plan and adopt additional support measures if necessary.
 

Implementation of involuntary resettlement

Vale’s management of involuntary resettlement processes takes into account the specific characteristics of each local context, including land tenure and socioeconomic and sociocultural conditions. Regardless of the circumstances, however, all processes are carried out in accordance with the requirements of the Involuntary Resettlement Standard. Click the links below to learn about the key aspects of involuntary resettlement implementation:
 

Scenario analysis for involuntary resettlement begins with the preliminary collection of data through satellite imagery, aerial photographs and secondary sources. This information is used to identify potential risks associated with restrictions on access to land and/or the natural resources that are essential to a community’s livelihoods. This study is one of the tools used to support the identification of alternative project locations that minimize or avoid involuntary resettlement.

This assessment of the local context is conducted to identify the potential impacts of involuntary resettlement and to provide the basis for the actions needed to restore the livelihoods of households affected by the resettlement process. The assessment, which must be carried out by a specialized consulting firm, involves the preparation and integrated analysis of thematic studies, enabling a comprehensive understanding of the community. It is based on field data collection, including physical and socioeconomic information about the area of interest and, depending on the context, specific studies addressing community identity and social relationships.

Coordination among the different involuntary resettlement activities is essential to maintaining effective engagement with affected households and other local stakeholders. A dedicated engagement team is responsible for coordinating field assessments and maintaining a centralized flow of information and interactions, contributing to the effective management of community concerns and feedback. 

Information related to involuntary resettlement is managed through an internal system in accordance with applicable data protection principles and laws. Involuntary resettlement is one of the events that may give rise to grievances, which are managed through the Listening and Response Mechanism, part of our global grievance management model. Field teams are trained to record grievances to ensure they are all addressed appropriately. To learn more, visit our Listening and Response Mechanism page.

This plan sets out the assistance measures designed to restore livelihoods, as well as the assistance categories and eligibility criteria. Its objectives are to restore access to land and housing, reestablish community ties, employment and income-generating opportunities, and ensure access to essential services. The purpose of the resettlement and the required timeframe for vacating the area determine the type of plan adopted:

•    Emergency Involuntary Resettlement Action Plan: adopted when there is an imminent risk to health or safety requiring the emergency relocation of affected households and the implementation of measures to maintain their livelihoods.

•    Temporary Involuntary Resettlement Action Plan: establishes temporary measures to maintain livelihoods until a permanent solution is available, whether through returning to the original property or relocating to a new one.

•    Permanent Involuntary Resettlement Action Plan: establishes measures to restore households’ livelihoods at their permanent place of residence or economic activity.
 

Vale takes measures to avoid emergency involuntary resettlement whenever possible. However, such resettlement may be unavoidable to ensure community safety and is undertaken only when the risk has been confirmed by the relevant public authorities. Although prior agreement with affected households is not possible in these circumstances, the Emergency Involuntary Resettlement Action Plan includes the individual and collective compensation measures needed to ensure that the affected families achieve better living conditions than they had before the involuntary resettlement. To learn more about the compensation measures adopted by Vale in each area, visit the  Evacuated Areas Page. 

Collective negotiation is recommended to build consensus and strengthen the legitimacy of the Involuntary Resettlement Action Plan, while ensuring consistent and equitable parameters for the compensation measures applicable to each household. A dialogue forum is established, and meetings open to stakeholders are held to ensure transparency in reaching agreement on the assistance measures. Depending on the local context, the Public Defender’s Office may be invited to provide legal assistance to the affected households, helping reduce information asymmetries and imbalances in negotiating capacity.

Once households agree to the Involuntary Resettlement Action Plan, the process of restoring access to land and adequate housing under the temporary or permanent assistance program can begin. Households must be offered alternatives when selecting a new location for their residence and/or economic activity, taking into account locational advantages that support the restoration of their livelihoods. Social support and technical assistance are provided to facilitate the relocation of household belongings, livestock, machinery and equipment, as well as the restoration of economic activities. Follow-up activities after relocation also include restoring access to healthcare, education and social protection services.

The primary tool for verifying the effectiveness of involuntary resettlement is the monitoring of indicators based on the periodic collection and analysis of data by an independent consulting firm. The assessment dimensions, which vary according to the specific characteristics of each resettlement process, include the restoration of access to land, adequate housing, and employment and income-generating opportunities, as well as the reestablishment of community ties, collective practices and access to essential services. Based on the results, additional measures are implemented as needed.