The International Council on Mining and Metals (ICMM), Business Fights Poverty and The Partnering Initiative, in consultation with the Harvard Kennedy School’s Corporate Responsibility Initiative, today published a Building Forward Better Framework. The Framework provides practical tools and resources for use by the mining industry and other sectors to help guide them through the initial stages of the pandemic and to lay the pathway for building forward to a more resilient future post-COVID-19.
It has been developed with the aim of encouraging learning and thinking about mining’s collective role in supporting communities through the immediate and long-term phases of COVID-19. It is also a practical tool for mining companies and those companies in other sectors, to assess their own activities through the examples, case-studies and resources.
Three key areas for action are identified in the Framework. These are lives (health and safety), livelihoods (jobs and income) and learning (education and skills). Through these lenses, companies can identify practical actions to take across their core business activities, community investment programs and policy engagement, that support community rebuilding and resilience.
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The Building Forward Better Framework was created collaboratively, using Business Fights Poverty and the Harvard Kennedy School’s existing Business COVID-19 Framework as its solid foundation. It incorporates ICMM’s practical knowledge and learnings from its members’ COVID-19 responses to specifically tailor the Framework to the mining sector.
Through the publication of this Framework, we hope to foster and encourage closer collaboration and engagement beyond the mining sector to help drive real change. To reflect this, the Framework will be freely available for all to use on the ICMM, Business Fights Poverty and The Partnering Initiative websites.
Dr Nicky Black, Director Social and Economic Development Programme, ICMM, told AMSJ that “The mining industry’s response to the crisis reflects the unique relationship ICMM’s members have with their communities, due to the often remote locations in which they are situated, and the relationships that have been built between companies and community members over years of working together. What has become apparent through this response is that we are stronger together. Collaboration between different sectors, government, community and local stakeholders will be vital if we are to build forward towards a brighter future.”
“ICMM is delighted to have collaborated with Business Fights Poverty, The Partnering Initiative and the Harvard Kennedy School’s Corporate Responsibility Initiative to build on and tailor their excellent COVID-19 response framework for the mining sector. The result is, I believe, a practical action and learning tool for mining companies to use as they address each phase of the pandemic. My hope is that it also provides inspiration and encouragement for closer collaboration and engagement across sectors to both inform short-term recovery and response efforts, and longer-term community and economic resilience” Black said.
Jane Nelson, Director of the Corporate Responsibility Initiative at Harvard Kennedy School, said “As we continue to grapple with the health, humanitarian and economic impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic, mining companies are demonstrating their ability to partner with others to help protect people’s lives and their health and safety, support people’s livelihoods and economic resilience, and provide opportunities for people’s ongoing learning, training and skills development.”
“The commitment of employees and longstanding partnerships with unions, host communities and governments have been essential in enabling the industry to respond in an agile and effective manner. These partnerships will be even more important as we work to build more inclusive and resilient local institutions, economies, and health and food systems for the future.”
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