The International Council on Mining and Metals (ICMM) announced a new collective commitment by members to increase diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in the mining and metals industry and positively affect the communities in which mining companies operate.
Members of the ICMM have agreed to collaborate to enhance the working conditions of all employees and eliminate workplace discrimination, harassment, and violence. To accomplish this, the four measures listed below will be implemented by the end of 2024:
- Accelerate Action — Accelerate individual and group efforts to rid workplaces and communities of harmful habits. This involves creating a roadmap that outlines the direction of the actions being performed and establishes significant milestones to assist in reaching agreed-upon goals.
- Set Goals — Set individual and collective goals relevant to the working circumstances to eradicate all types of harassment and discrimination. This will aid in demonstrating progress.
- Increase Transparency — Disclose aggregated performance on these goals in line with the ICMM’s Social and Economic Reporting Framework. This includes, where feasible, disaggregating data by gender and ethnicity to assist in measuring progress.
- Collaborate for Greater Effect — Collaborate with corporations, industry associations, underrepresented groups, communities, investors, and others to advocate for and develop solutions to the sector’s DEI concerns.
“Whilst we have seen good progress by individual companies, this collective commitment aims to prioritise and accelerate collaborative efforts to eliminate discrimination, harassment, and assault. This is so we can build psychologically safe and truly diverse, equitable and inclusive workplaces in the mining industry. It is not only our solemn duty to do so, but the only way to attract and retain the talent essential to grow responsible mining at the huge scale that is required. This is why I am calling on the wider industry, alongside our members, to join us in this collective effort to drive the progress needed,” ICMM CEO and President Rohitesh Dhawan said.
“Demonstrating our commitment and taking action on these critical issues is aligned with our vision of safe, inclusive, and sustainable workplaces. No one should ever feel harassed, threatened, or discriminated at work. We know our actions are key to earning the trust of our employees and stakeholders. We must ask ourselves the question – what more can I personally do and what more can we do together? Working collectively as a membership and with others to overcome the barriers to diversity, equity and inclusion, we can eliminate harmful behaviours from our workplaces, and influence positive cultural change in communities and across society,” Newmont CEO and ICMM Council Social Performance Council Advisory Group Chair Tom Palmer stated.
Special Rapporteur and Independent Expert of the UN Working Group on Discrimination Against Women and Girls said, “If we don’t actively and intentionally include women, the system will unintentionally exclude them. The reason for this is that the systems in the mining industry were invented by men, for men and even today are largely run by men. Forcing women into systems and cultures designed for men is not an effective strategy to build greater levels of diversity and inclusion. The solution lies in shifting the systems rather than fixing the women.”
Abrdn Head of Active Ownership Andy Mason commented, “I’ve already seen positive steps being taken by the mining industry to address diversity and inclusion challenges. This commitment by ICMM members takes it one step further and helps to demonstrate collective action being taken by some of the world’s biggest miners. To keep this momentum going, continued collaboration between the industry and investors is critical. As active owners we must work with investee companies to support and encourage efforts to address challenges. Our future depends on the metals and minerals the industry produces.”
According to ICMM, the Position Statement expands on individual business criteria, which were revised in June 2022, and reflects a shared goal from firms that account for one-third of the worldwide mining and metals sector.
Members of the ICMM are unified in their opinion that discrimination, harassment, and violence have no place in the business or in society. Members recognise their responsibility and the greater effort necessary to eradicate inequities within the sector and to assist in the elimination of harmful habits that exist in society.
