Responsible mining seeks to modify mining activities and projects to minimise negative impacts, which disproportionately affect the most disadvantaged and to ensure a more equitable distribution of the benefits of mining activity.
The question is not if, but when responsible mining will become the norm and which mining companies will have embraced the change and which companies will struggle to hold to outdated and damaging practices. Of greater relevance is the means by which the application of these principles will be achieved. Will mining companies move voluntarily to adopt international standards and becoming leading edge1 practitioners or will governments in both developed and developing countries be forced to legislate and enforce mandatory requirements to ensure responsible mining.
The following, mining specific principles, build upon the general principles for sustainable development and international law and are adapted from the Golden Rules for responsible mining
Human rights
1. Respect basic human rights as outlined in legislation and international conventions.
2. Obtain the free, prior, and informed consent (FPIC) of affected communities3.
3. Respect workers’ rights and labor standards, including safe working conditions and the right to organise.
4. Ensure that operations are not located in areas of armed or militarized conflict.
5. Ensure that projects do not force communities off their lands.
6. Identify, respect and support the needs of marginalised people such as particular ethnic groups, women, children, disabled.
7. Implement active programs to reduce human impacts from cultural dislocation, migration, domestic violence and disease.
Environmental Impact
8. Ensure that projects are not located in protected areas, fragile ecosystems, or other areas of high social/cultural, conservation or ecological value.
9. Avoid/minimise landscape alteration that causes long lasting impact to the off-mine site environment.
10. Prohibit the dumping of mine waste into oceans, rivers, lakes, or streams.
11. Minimise permanent land alienation from waste stockpiles and tailings storage facilities.
12. Ensure that projects do not contaminate water, soil, or air with acid metaliferous and/or saline drainage or other toxic chemicals.
13. Ensure landscape productivity and ecosystem function of projects through mine life.
14. Cover all costs of closing down, cleaning up and rehabilitating mine sites.
Economic
15. Assess and plan mine related activities so as to minimise negative effects on local economies and to maximise opportunity for non-mine economic activity.
16. Ensure equitable distribution of benefits between the local community, mining company, workers and government.
Transparency
17. Establish, implement and publicise effective policies to guide responsible mining principles.
18. Publicly report all information about the economic4, social and environmental effects of projects at local, regional and national scales.
19, Establish effective, timely and independent dispute resolution mechanisms that encourage the community to identify complaints.
20. Allow independent verification of all of the above.
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