Stakeholder engagement

AngloGold Ashanti recognises that, as the company conducts its business, so it has an impact – real or potential – on a wide range of stakeholders and business partners. The group has identified the following broad groups of stakeholders at corporate, operational and community level and includes:

• employees;
• unions and other employee representation forums;
• employees’ families and dependants;
• communities surrounding operations or from which the company draws its employees;
• suppliers and contractors;
• local, regional and national governments;
• customers;
• non-governmental and community-based organisations;
• academic institutions;
• regulatory authorities;
• professional organisations;
• shareholders; and
• peer companies.

A comprehensive, but not exhaustive, list of these stakeholders is available.

AngloGold Ashanti’s engagement with its stakeholders varies in frequency and may depend on specific matters at hand. This engagement may be formal, informal or both.

AngloGold Ashanti’s belief is that, to build successful and beneficial long-term relationships with its local communities, an operation needs to engage with those communities as well as other stakeholders and social partners. The group is aware that failure to communicate well can result in misunderstandings and tensions between the operation and the community, which can have a material impact on the functioning and viability of the operation.

A draft management standard for stakeholder engagement in line with the company’s stated policy to ‘communicate and consult on our activities throughout the lifecycle of our operations’ and ‘undertake initiatives that contribute to sustainable futures in partnership with the societies in which we operate’ has been developed to guide operations.

Stakeholders have been defined for each operation as explained below.

• Affected parties: those who are affected by the operation, both positively and negatively and in turn are either directly affected or indirectly affected.
• Interested parties: those who, although not affected by the operation, have an interest in, or influence over, the operation.
• Authorities: national, state/provincial and district or local. In some locations (e.g. tribal areas) it may be appropriate to distinguish between elected and traditional forms of administration.

On-site contractors and subcontractors are bound by the management standard and policies implemented by the group.

All operations are required to formalise their engagement strategy by preparing a Stakeholder Engagement Action Plan (SEAP), the scope and level of detail of which will vary depending on the context, nature and scale of the operation. Each operation’s SEAP comprises an overarching engagement plan, to which all disciplines and contractors contribute to, rather than having multiple engagement strategies and plans. The plan follows an approach to stakeholder engagement that is appropriate to the local culture, representative and inclusive.

The plan must cover at a minimum a one-year period and take into account developments at least two years ahead which may significantly influence what is being communicated to stakeholders, for example, a large-scale expansion or contraction of an operation. Plans are reviewed at least annually and also as needed. Importantly, the plans must be shared with communities, in the business language of the country and any other appropriate local languages, and be presented in a readily understandable and culturally appropriate format.