Land use agreements

In many regions in the world, indigenous people have owned and occupied lands for many generations, frequently for longer periods than the prevailing sovereign government. Under these circumstances it is appropriate, and indeed frequently required under statute, that Rio Tinto negotiates a mining access agreement directly with the indigenous landowners.

These agreements are rights based in that they recognise the human rights and interests of indigenous landowners and seek an equitable distribution of benefits between Rio Tinto, indigenous peoples and government.

The agreements set out to produce constructive, mutually beneficial relationships between Rio Tinto and host indigenous communities. Examples of agreements Rio Tinto has negotiated include:

Yandicoogina Negotiations Protocol covers the principles and procedures that governed negotiations over proposals for an iron mine.

Western Cape Communities Co-Existence Agreement is an agreement that recognises and respects the native title rights of traditional owners

Diavik Socio-Economic Monitoring Agreement is a formal mechanism to embrace the many commitments Diavik Diamonds made to the communities of northern Canada

Rio Tinto Exploration and mine operations in Australia have negotiated 39 land access agreements (pdf)