National Mineral Policy 2006 - Department of Mines

developed for addressing challenges in different areas, such as biodiversity and communitydevelopment.Companies should define their policy on language. For example, if the document is inEnglish but a number of their projects are operating where the official language is notEnglish, is any material available in that language (e.g., on the website of the individualproject)?Finally, the supplement process does not aim to supplant or duplicate ongoing efforts andseeks to be informed by other initiatives such as those under the auspices of the UnitedNations. Similarly, this Supplement is a living document and future revisions will seek tobenefit and incorporate developments from other initiatives.Aspects to be Reported through Narrative DescriptionsThere are also a few topics of particular importance that are best addressed through thenarrative disclosures in a report:Stakeholder Engagement: The importance of internal and external stakeholder engagementapplies throughout the project cycle of mining and metals, but the approaches to engagementwill vary depending on:1. The stage of the project cycle (exploration, feasibility, construction, mining and metalprocessing (including metal fabrication and recycling), and closure),2. The nature of the operation (underground, open pit, heap leach, metals refining, etc.),3. The roles, levels of interest (e.g., directly affected or interested parties, etc.) andengagement objectives of the major stakeholders identified for the operationalcontext.A company’s Sustainable Development Report should respond to disclosure elements indescribing engagement practices relative to these three variables e.g., consultation andinformation sharing, participatory decision-making, or practices of dispute resolution). Thenarrative should also describe any overarching policies guiding these engagement practicesthrough the project cycle of the operation, and how inputs from stakeholders are used by thereporting organisation.Community Engagement and Support: The issue of broad and ongoing community support, orlack of it, is recognised as particularly important for the mining and metals sector. Somestakeholders refer to this as ‘free prior informed consent’. It is generally agreed that broadcommunity support is critical for project approval and implementation. However, there is anongoing debate about what community support means, and how and when it is achieved. Inthe absence of consensus around these issues, companies should report on their process ofcommunity engagement, including the following:1. Overall policy related to community engagement, including an explanation of the goalof the engagement process (e.g., community consent, community support, sociallicense to operate, etc.).2. Basis for identification of community-level decision-makers and representativeinstitutions in proposed and existing operations sites.3. Approach to community engagement processes, including:279