Why gender matters - Centre for Social Responsibility in Mining ...

How to
Introduction to Part 2 –
Guidance on “how to”
At Rio Tinto, we have a responsibility to ensure that our actions do not make
existing inequalities worse in the communities in which we operate. Rio Tinto’s
commitments to sustainable development and human rights also require that we
move to situations where we have improved the quality of life and socio-economic
conditions of impacted and affected communities – for women and men, girls and
boys – in all locations where our operations are based.
Part 2 of the guide aims to provide
clear guidance on how we can:
– foster inclusive engagement
and development by
incorporating gender
considerations into the
work that we do;
– avoid putting women and men,
communities and projects
at risk; and
– better achieve our diversity goals.
Examples from Rio Tinto’s
experiences are provided
to illustrate why a gender
perspective matters and how it
can inform our decision making.
The way we work – Rio Tinto’s
governing corporate policy
document – states that Rio Tinto
“supports human rights consistent
with the Universal Declaration on
Human Rights and expects those
rights to be upheld in conducting
the Group’s operations
throughout the world”. Rio Tinto
acknowledges that along with
diversity, consideration of human
rights forms a central part of our
Communities work. Human rights
are embedded in the Group’s
management system through
various means, including
employee and contractor awareness
training; regular consultation with
communities; codes of conduct for
employees (including strict policies
on harassment); work conditions;
contracting systems; and security
policy (see Human rights guidance
– guidance for managers on
implementing the human rights policy
of The way we work, Rio Tinto, 2003).
This guide further embeds those
human rights principles.
A “rights-compatible” gender
and diversity approach will
help increase our capacity to
minimise negative impacts of
mining; gain and maintain a
social licence to operate; provide
local and Indigenous employment
opportunities; uphold corporate
commitments to human rights;
improve access to project
finance; and advance Rio Tinto’s
sustainable development goals.
The involvement of both women
and men from all sections of the
community in economic activities
will help foster more resilient
communities and increase the
possibilities for increasing the skills
base in the community, improving
incomes and reducing poverty.
Rio Tinto’s approach to Communities
work revolves around the core goal
of promoting and achieving inclusive
engagement with communities.
Inclusive engagement is both a
means and an end. As a means,
it should inform the way in which we
work with communities. In addition,
our ability to engage inclusively with
communities will be affected by the
way in which we work.
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