We and our members support the fight against diseases such as HIV, TB and malaria
Our members employ significant numbers of people and are committed to eliminating work-related injuries and illnesses. The long-term nature of mining operations means that our members are tackling the same health-related challenges facing local communities in areas such as sub-Saharan Africa.
Gold Producers’ Efforts to Combat Disease
It is difficult to overstate the global threat of HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis (TB) and malaria. Each second, someone in the world becomes newly infected with TB and the disease claims 1.7 million lives annually. Every day 7,000 people become infected with HIV and two million a year die from AIDS. 94 million people are ill with malaria, with 440 dying daily - 85% of them children.
As well as representing a global tragedy in human and social terms, these three diseases raise severe challenges for businesses - especially those in the gold mining industry because gold mining operations frequently take place in the hardest-hit regions. Some of the worst affected countries are profiled in our report, 'How Gold Producers are Fighting Disease Ghana, Tanzania, South Africa and Indonesia'.
In these locations gold producers can face soaring costs of employee healthcare and training and elevated rates of absenteeism, against a backdrop of sagging employee morale and lower quality of life in surrounding communities. Also, mining operations can have the unintended consequence of exacerbating the spread of disease due to a number of social, environmental and industrial factors.
Supporting the fight against disease
Such factors give the world’s largest gold mining companies the will to support the battle against these major diseases. Their readiness to act is underpinned by their common commitment to the principles of the International Council on Mining and Metals (ICMM), including its Sustainable Development Framework.
Our report examines the programmes run by the world’s four largest gold mining companies and World Gold Council members - AngloGold Ashanti, Barrick Gold Corporation, Gold Fields Limited and Newmont Mining Corporation - to tackle the threats of HIV/AIDS, TB and malaria among their workforces and local communities.
Gold mining companies have achieved great successes in some regional areas, while continuing to struggle with disease threats in others. The successes to date do not mean the associated programmes are scaled back; sustainable improvements to health require sustained efforts. Given the finite life of any mine, each company is striving to create the legacy of an effective, community-owned and locally-driven healthcare system.
Security and Human Rights
The Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights were developed in 2000 and involve the governments of the United States, the United Kingdom, Norway and the Netherlands; extractive and energy companies; and human rights NGOs. The Principles are designed to assist companies in maintaining the safety and security of their operations within a framework that ensures respect for human rights. The Principles provide guidance for companies in identifying human rights and security risk, as well as engaging and collaborating with state and private security forces. A number of our members have been instrumental in the development of the Principles which will have significant benefits for both the mining industry and some of the most vulnerable parts of society.