2010
AMBATOVY SUSTAINABILITY REPORT
37
Society and Community Relations
Targets for Social Performance in 2010
Implement community impact mitigation strategies based
on valid data and sound science (ICMM principle 4).
Contribute to the social and institutional development of
the communities in which we operate (ICMM principle 9).
Implement effective and transparent engagement,
communication and independently verified reporting
arrangements with our stakeholders (ICMM principle 10).
Results and Next Steps
q
While we have implemented mitigation strategies, such as
the resettlement program, we have also met with unforeseen
challenges due to construction, such as impacted rice fields
along the pipeline, and have been working in 2010 and into
2011 to manage and resolve these issues.
q
In 2010, we were largely focused on mitigation of impacts,
which is a prerequisite for community development. Our
social and institutional development programs were largely
in the planning stages and will take on a greater role in 2011
and beyond.
q
2010 was a pivotal year as we began planning an effective
stakeholder engagement strategy. We made good
progress, but look forward both to increasing and improving
this engagement through clearly defined relationship
programs in 2011. This includes a number of independent
and in-house reporting mechanisms.
q
Major challenges encountered
q
Challenges en route to resolution
q
Good progress made toward goal
C3.1 Management Approach to Society and
Community Relations
Ambatovy believes that our social license to operate comes
from our communities and stakeholders. We are committed
to working in a manner that is attuned to community
expectations and acknowledge that we have a shared
responsibility to help facilitate the development of strong and
sustainable communities. By the end of 2010, we integrated
four of the ICMM principles as our strategic social objectives.
These strategic objectives correspond with four main areas
of focus:
3
Impact mitigation
3
Community relationships
3
Community development
3
Economic development
Impact mitigation seeks to provide an interface with
communities directly affected by our activities and
construction that will avoid, reduce or compensate for
impacts. This is directly related to ICMM principles four
and ten. Implementation can encompass a wide range of
activities, including educating the local population on safety
procedures and carrying out detailed prevention programs,
such as our campaigns on HIV/AIDS and zero tolerance for
child exploitation. The most significant aspects, however,
are those mitigation measures that relate to resettlement
and compensation for loss of assets and amenities. Our
mitigation efforts also include initiatives such as our
archaeological program, which put into practice our long-
term commitment to help preserve Madagascar’s cultural
heritage.
Community relationships correspond to ICMM principle ten,
an integrated approach that influences how we conduct all
other activities. The cornerstone of community relationships
is stakeholder engagement. Programs, such as awareness
campaigns, the grievance mechanism, and community
donations and support are just some of the ways we put
this approach into practice. We also do it through informal
relationships. We could not mitigate the effects of construction
on a community without first cultivating a good relationship
with that community. See section B3 for detailed information
on our stakeholder engagement philosophy and the grievance
mechanism. Donations and sponsorship strategies may be
found in section C2.2.
Finally, our community and economic development initiatives
reflect our commitment to ICMM principles three and nine.
Ambatovy is committed to making a positive, sustainable
difference in the communities in which we work. The well-
being of those affected by the Project’s activities is of
primary importance and all initiatives within Ambatovy’s CSR
strategy and framework documents reflect and underline
this commitment. This includes a variety of programs and
initiatives, such as health campaigns, education initiatives,
investment in sustainable livelihood mechanisms and job
creation through ALBI. For detailed information on all our
economic development initiatives, see section C2.
C3. Social Performance
