[PDF] Community Development Toolkit - CommDev

CASE STUDYIncorporating impact assessment into the ongoing management of operationsAnglo American, worldwideBackground and methodologyMost large mining and metals companies undertake environmental and social impactsassessments (ESIAs) prior to the development of new projects. These assessments areoften prompted by requirements from investors and/or regulators. An importantobjective is to help ensure that effective management of social and environmental issuesis built into the physical design and incentive structure of the mine from the outset.Anglo American recognized that there was a need for ongoing socio-economic impactassessment and engagement to be implemented at producing operations.In 2003, its Socio-Economic Assessment Toolbox (SEAT) was launched, which allowedmines to assess current social and environmental impacts and identify and respond tothe broader developmental aspirations of host communities, in line with internationalbest practice and in close consultation with local stakeholders.MANAGEMENT TOOLSFollowing a consultation stakeholder engagement process, SEAT guides managers throughthe process of developing a publicly-available management action plan. Business unitsare encouraged to collaborate closely with local stakeholders in developing this actionplan. Subjects covered by the toolbox include stakeholder identification, calculating totalemployment from the operation, assessing performance in relation to corporate policiesand establishing partnerships. Each SEAT assessment takes around four months toconduct. The toolbox was intentionally designed to be accessible to general businessmanagers. External organizations have, however, been brought in to help local businessunits undertake the process, for example the NGO Casa de la Paz helped the company’soperations implement SEAT in Chile.OutcomesLaunched in 2003 and enhanced in 2007 and 2011/12, SEAT has been implemented atall of the company’s mining locations. One of the main lessons emerging from SEATimplementation is the need to address community perceptions of adverse impacts, evenwhen these are not well founded. In addition, a number of substantive issues haveemerged frequently from SEAT applications, including access to jobs and training,access to land and alternative livelihoods, access to supply chain opportunities, andthe balance and distribution of social investments. In terms of implementing the processitself, managing rivalries between stakeholder groups has been identified as a particularchallenge.One of SEAT’s main strengths has been to help professionalize the approach of operationalmanagers to managing social issues. Where social investment and philanthropycharacterized many community development efforts in the past, business units have beenencouraged to treat management of socio-economic impacts with the same degree ofdiscipline and attention as, for example, health and safety, or recruitment. SEAT has alsohelped shift the focus of socio-economic development contributions towards core businessactivities, such as local procurement, workforce development and delivering mineinfrastructure in a way that also benefits local communities.Community Development Toolkit➜163