Barrick Hosts North Mara Site Visit for Human Rights NGO
NORTH MARA, Feb. 01, 2023 - Barrick Gold Corp. (NYSE:GOLD)(TSX:ABX) has hosted a two-day open-door visit to its North Mara Gold Mine in Tanzania by the UK-based NGO RAID (Rights and Accountability in Development) represented primarily by its executive director, Anneke van Woudenberg.
The intention of the visit was for RAID to experience firsthand the positive impact Barrick has had since assuming operational control of North Mara in September 2019. In the course of the visit, RAID were given a comprehensive presentation on the mine's operations and operating environment and were able to view the transformative impact the mine's sustainability strategy has had on its host communities, as is the case for all Barrick mines.
RAID was invited to observe one of the frequent community engagement meetings between North Mara, the village chairpersons, ward and village executive officials of the 11 host villages as well as their member of parliament. At this meeting, the village leadership afforded RAID the opportunity to raise any human rights issues they felt were of concern. Consistent with Barrick's findings to date, the village leadership did not corroborate the allegations raised by RAID and reaffirmed that there had been no previous engagement with RAID on the concerns raised.
RAID also had the opportunity to see community projects, including the agribusiness which provides livelihoods to over 100 youths, the potable tap water supply which will supply over 30,000 community members, new schools and medical facilities. These projects were all funded by the mine through a Community Development Committee, which puts the community at the heart of the decision-making process.
Finally, Barrick introduced RAID to key local authorities and held tripartite meetings which included the Regional Police Commander and the District Commissioner.
Barrick does not tolerate human rights abuses in any of its operations and encourages any individual or organization to share any concerns they may have. North Mara Gold Mine will continue to implement its sustainability strategy. This includes engaging and working closely with over 20 regional and national NGOs that understand the challenges in its host communities and partner with the mine to implement socio-economic development projects.
"We encourage RAID to join these NGOs and collaborate with us on upliftment initiatives. I hope that the site visit has been informative for RAID and that they will leave Tanzania with a fresh perspective on the numerous benefits the mine brings to its host communities and its respect for the human rights of those influenced by its operations," said Barrick's president and chief executive Mark Bristow.
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Certain information contained or incorporated by reference in this press release, including any information as to our strategy, projects, plans or future sustainability performance, constitutes "forward-looking statements". All statements, other than statements of historical fact, are forward-looking statements. The words "opens", "transformative impact", "opportunity", "invest", "will", "encourage", "collaborate", "upliftment initiatives", "continue" and similar expressions identify forward-looking statements. In particular, this press release contains forward-looking statements including, without limitation, with respect to: Barrick's sustainability strategy and vision; Barrick's environmental, health and safety, corporate social responsibility and human rights programs, policies and performance at North Mara and in Tanzania; the transformative impact of Barrick's sustainability strategy in the region; the anticipated benefits of agricultural, potable water supply and other community projects at North Mara; the impact of community engagement meetings at North Mara and Barrick's invitation to RAID and other NGOs to collaborate on social and economic uplift initiatives at the mine.
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