Organizational Involvement

To help us manage our impacts and maximize the benefits to communities, we use a combination of internal and external frameworks. To this end, IAMGOLD has joined a number of international standards and working groups. These initiatives help ensure that we adhere to high standards from an economic, social and governance perspective.

External Partnerships

Mining Safety Roundtable

IAMGOLD was invited to participate as a member of the Mining Safety Roundtable in 2011. The group is comprised of senior health and safety leaders from some of the world’s major mining companies including IAMGOLD, Newmont, Barrick, Goldcorp, Inmet, Debeers Canada, Anglogold Ashanti, Freeport Morgan, Teck Cominco, and Kinross. The companies representing the Mining Safety Roundtable are committed to eliminating fatalities and major incidents by sharing strategies and best practices that address industry hazards and risks.

Devonshire Initiative (Founding Member)

IAMGOLD is a founding member of the Devonshire Initiative. This organization is a forum for leading international development NGOs and mining companies to come together in response to the social agenda surrounding mining and community development issues. The Devonshire Initiative (DI) was founded on the belief that collaborative private sector and NGO presence in emerging markets can be a force for positive change. The group came into being in March 2007 at an initial workshop conducted at the University of Toronto on cross-sector partnerships, which featured a case study of the Kimberley Process on Conflict Diamonds. The ultimate objective of the DI is improved social and community development outcomes wherever Canadian mining companies operate overseas. The DI is housed with the University of Ottawa following the signing of an MOU in September 2010.
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Plan Canada Partnership

Plan is a global movement for change, mobilizing millions of people around the world to support social justice for children in developing countries. The IAMGOLD-Plan Canada partnership was established in 2009, as part of our commitment to work with inspiring NGOs through the Devonshire initiative. We spent two years establishing a working relationship and jointly developing a large scale development project in Burkina Faso.

In 2011, we were thrilled to announce that a joint proposal had been accepted to improve educational opportunities and provide greater access to ‘job-readiness’ training for the youth of Burkina Faso. The Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) has approved funding of CDN$5.6 million to support this five-year project. Plan Canada and IAMGOLD have committed CDN$1.9 million to the project, which represents the largest public-private partnership with an extractive company in CIDA’s history.

Known as “Building Young People’s Human Capital for Economic Growth: A Canadian Public-Private Partnership for CSR in Burkina Faso,” the project’s highlights are to:

• Focus on non-formal technical and vocational training for youth of ages 13 to 18 in two regions of the country;
• Support the transition of youth from pre-professional education to professional training;
• Double professional secondary education enrolment and education completion rates in targeted zones;
• Provide life skills training needed to help youth to make the transition to the job market and self-employment;
• Make a direct contribution to Burkina Faso’s human resources by investing in the country’s youth, with a strong emphasis on girls;
• and Showcase a CSR partnership that brings together industry, civil society and the governments of Canada and Burkina Faso.

We view our investment in Burkina Faso as a long-term commitment. We saw an opportunity to make a significant contribution to the country’s sustainable development goals and felt that this was part of our responsibility as a long-term partner to get directly involved.

RIME (Research Institute on Mines and Environment)

IAMGOLD is a partner with the RIME (Research Institute on Mines and Environment). As a member of the mining industry, IAMGOLD is aware of current and upcoming environmental challenges in this sector. In order to meet those challenges, research and development are key tools for success. Know-how and global recognition of UQAT and Polytechnique Montréal in this field will allow the development and application of innovative solutions which, while being respectful to the environment, will contribute to the competitiveness and growth of the mining industry.