Communities

Good community relations are as necessary for our business success as the effective management of our operations. This belief is at the heart of our overall approach to communities and is why we set out to build a good quality of relationships with the people in whose areas we mine.

Not only do we respect their cultural heritage and environment.  We also work in partnership with the communities in which we operate on a long term basis, and make sure that we optimise the economic effects of our activities on their livelihoods as well as the overall economy.

How we work with communities

We work closely with local representatives to secure the widest possible understanding of community concerns and priorities, and use these findings to design agreed programmes of assistance that reflect local priorities.

Through ongoing consultation and two-way communication, we aim to understand and respond to changing circumstances and concerns so that informed judgements can be made. We see this as the best way to maximise benefits to our neighbouring communities and reduce negative consequences.

Such active partnerships, reflecting our long-term commitment, are the means for ensuring that our business and its communities remain mutually informed and involved with each other throughout the life of the mine.

At the end of 2004, we introduced our Communities Standard to support the implementation of our Communities Policy. We have also instituted multi-year rolling communities plans that integrate into closure planning, and which define agreed programmes of assistance with our neighbouring communities.

Community assistance is the 'value adding' that businesses contribute to the community. These provisions may include enterprise development, training, and employment, community-based health, and social and cultural heritage initiatives.

Our focus in all instances is to ensure such programmes contribute to sustainable development and avoid creating dependency. All our operations update these plans annually as an integral part of the overall operations plan.

In developing countries, we are often asked to support infrastructure and social services programmes and, in collaboration with others, we help where practical.

Our community relations programmes are implemented by locally-based practitioners in each of the operations.  They receive support from our corporate Community Relations team who co-ordinate their work with specialists from other parts of our company.