Human Rights
Respect for human rights is a foundational value at Secam Local Miners and a central part of our sustainability vision.
At the core of responsible mining
Mining responsibly means mining with respect, for people, for communities and for the future. Respecting human rights is central to this commitment, ensuring that our operations uphold the dignity, safety and freedoms of those we impact.
At Secam Local Miners, respect for human rights is not just about having a policy that references the right frameworks, nor is it a compliance exercise. It is a fundamental part of our business philosophy and embedded throughout our business, from how we hire and train our workforce as well as how we engage with local communities and select our suppliers, to how we manage our tailings. Every decision we make considers its potential human rights impact.
Community engagement is embedded within this approach. By fostering sustainable local economies and ensuring that community concerns are addressed through structured dialogue, we help prevent risks before they emerge.
Our Board of Directors oversees the implementation of our human rights program, ensuring integration across core functions including Ethics and Compliance, Security, Social Performance and Business Conduct. With operations in more than 7 countries, over 4,000 employees and contractors, and a supply chain of thousands of partners, we maintain a consistent, rights-respecting approach wherever we operate.
A Zero-Tolerance Approach
While governments have the primary responsibility to protect human rights, we take our responsibility to respect them seriously. This means proactively identifying and mitigating risks, ensuring access to grievance mechanisms and remedy, and fostering meaningful engagement with those affected by our operations.
We have zero tolerance for human rights violations by employees, contractors or any third parties acting on our behalf. Our commitment is embedded in our Human Rights Policy, which is guided by:
- The UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs).
- The OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises.
- The Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights (VPs).
Beyond a dedicated policy, we integrate human rights considerations across our business through our Code of Business Conduct and Ethics, Anti-Bribery and Anti- Corruption Policy, and Social Performance Policy. We also hold our suppliers to the same high standards, ensuring that human rights are upheld throughout our value chain.
Partnering, Not Replacing: Defining Our Role
One position on which we are clear is that we are not the government. While we invest in essential infrastructure such as healthcare, education and water access to kickstart development, we do not and will not assume the responsibilities of the state, and we make it clear that governments must be accountable for protecting and upholding human rights. From security to fundamental human rights, we always fulfil our responsibility to respect human rights and defer
to government to bear the primary duty to protect them. We do this by using our leverage and through thorough engagement and, at times, capacity support.