2007 Responsibility Report - English (PDF) - Barrick Gold Corporation

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Independent AssessmentIndependent AssessmentBarrick Gold Corporation (Barrick) retained EnvironmentalResources Management (ERM), a global provider of environmental,health, safety and social (EHSS) consulting services,to provide an independent review and opinion of its 2007Responsibility Report and associated website information.ERM’s review focused on the credibility and quality of thecontent of the report and the reliability of the data compilationprocess. The review was informed by the Global ReportingInitiative (GRI) G3 Sustainability Reporting Guidelines (2006)and AA1000 Assurance Standard (2003). ERM assessed theinformation in the report in terms of the following:• Completeness: does the Responsibility Report cover all theoperations and impacts that an external reader would needto know about?• Relevance: does the report address appropriate indicatorsand programs, given the sector, type of operations and locationsinvolved?• Accuracy: does the report accurately reflect Barrick’s performanceand challenges?and regionally relevant issues, and site-level data reporting –provides information on the company’s EHSS impacts,programs, systems and challenges that meets externalexpectations regarding completeness, relevance, accuracyand responsiveness.The strengths of the Responsibility Report include thefollowing:• The process for gathering and reporting data is effective andis supported by appropriate internal verification processes.• The content of the report and related material on theBarrick website are responsive to stakeholder issuesand concerns.• The report and supplemental documents provide significantcoverage of the GRI G3 Sustainability Reporting Guidelines,the International Mining and Metals (ICMM) Principles, andthe UN Global Compact.ERM identified additional opportunities for enhancing futurereports and has reviewed these with Barrick management.• Responsiveness: does Barrick respond to a wide range ofexternal expectations and pressures related to EHSS issues?As part of this review, ERM interviewed several professionals atBarrick sites and corporate staff involved in the data reporting,compilation and review process. ERM is familiar with Barrick'sEHSS issues and the management systems in place to addressthem.In ERM's opinion, the 2007 Responsibility Report – when readin conjunction with the site-specific and regional reports andother information on the Corporate Responsibility section ofthe Barrick website that address management approach, locallyBarbara Winter-WatsonEnvironmental Resources ManagementApril 200836 Barrick Responsibility Report 2007
About Barrick Gold CorporationBarrick Gold Corporation is a leading international gold mining company with operating mines and development projects on five continents andexploration activities world wide. The Company’s head office is in Toronto, Canada. 2008 marks the 25th year of operation for Barrick.Barrick is organized into four regions: North America, South America, Australia-Pacific and Africa. The Company’s 27 operating mines are locatedin Argentina, Australia, Canada, Chile, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Tanzania and the United States. The Company also has, globally, seven advancedexploration and development projects. Barrick’s main product is gold; however copper comprises a significant portion of our production.GlossaryDesign: nectar design + communications www.nectardesign.ca Printing: Exodus Graphics Corp.Biodiversity – The variability among livingorganisms, and the ecosystems of which theyare part: this includes diversity within species,between species and within ecosystems.Capacity Building – Capacity buildingincludes activities and initiatives whichstrengthen the knowledge, skills and behaviorof individuals and improve structuresand processes such that communities cangrow and develop in a sustainable way.Circadian Rhythm – Roughly a 24-hourcycle in the physical and mental processes ofliving beings.Community Infrastructure – The basicfacilities and systems serving a country, city,or rural area, including transportation,communication, sanitation, medical andschool systems.Community Initiatives – Activities andsupport that strengthen the skills and abilitiesof people and community groups.Gap Assessment – The comparison betweenwhat exists within a process or system andwhat is required.Greenhouse Gas Emissions (Direct andIndirect) – Gaseous emissions to the atmospherethat contribute to global warming andclimate change. Direct emissions are fromsources owned or operated on our properties.Indirect emissions are from sources not ownedor operated by us, but occur as a result of ouractivities (e.g. purchased electricity).Human Rights – Basic standards of treatmentto which all people are entitled, regardlessof nationality, gender, race, economicstatus or religion. They include civil and politicalfreedoms and liberties, and social and culturalrights necessary for survival, humandevelopment and dignity.Illegal Miners – People who gain unauthorizedaccess to mining leases in order to stealgold-bearing material. Often the motive forthis type of activity is poverty-based, wherepeople, usually young men, have limitedopportunity and turn to illegal activities asa source of livelihood.Independent Director – A director who,based on a determination of the Board as awhole, has no material relationship with theCompany other than as a director, eitherdirectly or indirectly (such as a partner, shareholderor executive office of another entitythat has a relationship with the Company).Indigenous People – Those people who arethe descendants of the original inhabitantsof a country or region, with a distinct socialor cultural identity that may be vulnerableor disadvantaged in the current social andeconomic context.Joint Venture – The partnership of two ormore companies in a specific operation, eachagreeing to share (according to ownershippercentage) profit or loss. Operational controloften depends on ownership percentage.Local and Regional Goods and Services –At each location, regional and/or country-widepurchases of goods and services. Purchasesfrom outside the country are excluded.Reclamation – The process of convertinglands disturbed by mining activities to otherproductive land uses. This process typicallyinvolves reshaping areas to a stable configuration,establishment of drainage systems,placement of topsoil or plant growth mediaand revegetation through planting or seeding.Concurrent reclamation is often practiced inorder to limit the amount of land lying disturbedduring mining activities. It involvesreclaiming disturbed lands promptly when nolonger essential for mining, rather than waitingfor mine closure.Regulatory Action – Written directionsfrom a regulatory agency specifying thatcertain existing conditions must be corrected.Due to varying degrees of regulatory oversight,a common definition of regulatoryaction is used by Barrick for consistentreporting purposes.Small-Scale Mining – Legal mining activitiesconducted on ore bodies or deposits bypersons using traditional techniques or lowmechanization methods (also known asartisanal mining).Stakeholders – People or groups of peoplethat have an interest in the activities of theCompany, including shareholders, employeesand their families, contractors, the communitiesnear mining operations, legislativerepresentatives, regulatory personnel andinterested non-government organizations.Sustainable Development – Developmentthat meets the needs of today’s generationwithout compromising the ability of futuregenerations to meet their own needs(Bruntland Commission, 1987).The UN Millennium Development Goals –In 2000, world leaders at the UN MillenniumSummit agreed to a set of time-bound andmeasurable goals for combating poverty,hunger, disease, illiteracy, environmentaldegradation and discrimination againstwomen. The eight goals are to be addressedby the target date of 2015. They havegalvanized unprecedented efforts to meetthe needs of the world’s poorest people.Unit Conversion Table – Metric measuresare used in this report. To convert to nonmetricunits, the following factors apply:1 ton = 1.1025 tons (short)1 kilometer = 0.6215 miles1 hectare = 2.4691 acres1 liter = 0.2642 gallons (U.S.)1 kilogram = 2.2046 pounds1 megajoule = 0.278 kilowatt hoursThroughout this report the currency usedis US dollars.
Page 1: BarrickResponsibilityReport 2007
Page 8: 25 Years of Responsible MiningA Cul
Page 11 and 12: operation of the Company. In 2007,
Page 13 and 14: Active and genuine engagement with
Page 15 and 16: For example, we recently opened a n
Page 17 and 18: Barrick brought together a multi-di
Page 19 and 20: COWAL MINE:A Study in Sustainable D
Page 21 and 22: understanding about how agriculture
Page 23 and 24: Attracting, retaining, motivating a
Page 25 and 26: WORK-LIFE BALANCETo retain high-qua
Page 27 and 28: Improving safety and health perform
Page 29 and 30: Barrick Health SystemOver the last
Page 31 and 32: Barrick’s goal is to minimize our
Page 33 and 34: are audited, in general, every two
Page 35 and 36: GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS INTENSITY(
Page 37: OFF-SITE SPILLS:Operation Substance

2007 Responsibility Report - English (PDF) - Barrick Gold Corporation

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