AngloGold Ashanti : Report to the Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights Initiative (VPSHR) 2024 PDF , 1.2mb

Published: 2025-05-30 08:02:06 ET AU

Published on 05/30/2025 at 08:02

Report to the Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights Initiative

2024

Contents 1

Commitments 2

Statement of commitment or endorsement of the VPs 2

Examples of promoting awareness of the VPs throughout the organisation or government 2

Examples of promoting and advancing implementation of the VPs internationally 3

Policies, Procedures and Related Activities 3

Relevant policies, procedures, and/or guidelines to implement the VPs 3

Company procedure to conduct security and human rights risk assessments 4

Country Implementation 6

Lessons and Issues 10

Annexure 11

Definitions used in this report 13

AngloGold Ashanti (also referred to as the Company) has subscribed to the Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights (VPs) since 2007 - a set of non-binding principles developed in 2000 to address the issue of balancing safety and security needs against respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms. The VPs address a critical gap for companies seeking guidance on managing their potential exposure to inappropriate security and human rights practices, especially in countries that are associated with conflict and high potential for human rights abuses. The VPs also provide guidance for companies on identifying human rights and security risks and engaging and collaborating with state and private security services. The VPs were developed through multi-stakeholder participation between governments, extractive industry members and non-governmental organisations (NGOs).

We seek alignment of our policies and practices with the United Nations Guiding Principles for Business and Human Rights (UNGPs) as adopted by the United Nations Human Rights Council in June 2011. This formally commits us to complying with applicable laws and respecting internationally recognised human rights, even when national laws or their application fall short of protecting these rights.

In our management of security and in terms of our recognition of human rights, aligned to our policies (available publicly at Policies and standards - AngloGold Ashanti), AngloGold Ashanti is committed to implementing the VPs in the management of all its operations.

In making decisions on, and addressing, any human rights, security and community issues, the Company takes an interdisciplinary approach. The VPs underpin the Company's security management practices.

Our ongoing attendance of VPs plenary meetings, participation in pillar meetings, working groups and in-country initiatives, provide a solid platform for collaboration and engagement with peers and colleagues across pillars, to ensure alignment with the intent of the VPs.

Furthermore, our performance regarding human rights and the implementation of the VPs form part of our annual sustainability reporting, which is publicly available.

Our values are underpinned by a respect for human rights and are enshrined in our Human Rights framework, especially requirements contained in our Human Rights Standard, which complements our Sustainability and Health, Safety and Security Policies. AngloGold Ashanti is committed to the UNGPs, VPs and other international initiatives, including the United Nations Global Compact. We also work to ensure that our broader governance is human rights compliant and recognises our responsibility to respect human rights with regard to all our operations and communities and respect the laws of the countries in which we operate.

The implementation of proper human rights due diligence (HRDD) processes underpins our commitment to the UNGPs and ensures effective management of human rights risks, including security related risk. The implementation of our HRDD processes, which includes internal HRDD and Social Licence to Operate (SLO) assessment tools, supports AngloGold Ashanti's values to "uphold and promote fundamental human rights where we do business" and to "contribute to building productive, respectful and mutually beneficial partnerships in the communities in which we operate". The ongoing refinement of appropriate methods of redress, through a properly functioning set of grievance mechanisms, remains a priority.

The implementation of all these programs is geared towards building internal awareness and an understanding of where the Company's activities may have the potential to intersect with or infringe upon human rights. This also includes preventing or mitigating potential impacts or remediating impacts that have occurred, and prioritising security and human rights related potential conflict and risk.

In addition to our Security framework audits and assessments, which include the VPs compliance assessments, sites are encouraged to use the VPs KPI's checklist and VPs Implementation Guidance Tools in formulating their site-based VPs procedures. Our efforts on human rights training, which aim to embed awareness and understanding of the UNGP's and the VPs, remain a priority. Training takes place in the form of induction, classroom, refresher or online training.

Respecting the rights and customs of all stakeholders is key to respecting human rights in and around our concessions. We engage with a broad cross section of community members and leadership, including traditional leaders, local and national government, women's groups, youth and people with disabilities, civil society, human rights defenders and indigenous communities in and around our operational areas. This includes advocating for and promoting the VPs.

Active participation in in-country initiatives to engage home and host governments, with a view to implementing the VPs in the respective countries remains a focus area.

AngloGold Ashanti is open about its commitment to advancing the VPs, and, when appropriate, uses its involvement in international forums, such as the International Council on Mining and Metals (ICMM), World Gold Council (WGC), United Nations Global Compact, the Inter-Governmental Forum on Minerals, Mining, Metals and Sustainable Development, UN Forum on Business and Human Rights and in-country industry forums amongst other international and national forums, to promote the VPs. The Company's VPs Annual Report is published on its website: Sustainability reporting - AngloGold Ashanti .

We aim to foster sustainable development in host communities, as a way of working towards the value of wanting to leave communities better off for our having been there. We encourage meaningful and effective community engagement throughout the life cycle of a mining operation.

We further recognise that good community relationships built on trust and where we do no harm, will have a positive impact on security and that both the complex challenges associated with general criminality, illegal and artisanal mining, resulting in increased intrusions onto our operational areas, has the potential to increase the number and severity of security incidents.

Effective strategies for community engagement and local economic development to create alternative livelihoods are essential in addressing human rights and security issues, and their causes.

Community and security related matters are addressed at board level by the Social, Ethics and Sustainability Committee. The committee's ambit covers oversight of AngloGold Ashanti's compliance with its commitment in terms of the VPs. At a corporate level, the Sustainable Development team develops company policy in respect of community-related issues, in addition to offering guidance and establishing procedures to foster operational conformity with the group's values, business principles and policies. Various operational plans, including stakeholder engagement plans and integrated development plans, and mechanisms for the reporting and resolving of complaints and grievances, form the backbone of community engagement efforts.

In addition, the Company's Security framework and associated standards and procedures provide the base for measuring compliance for the VPs implementation progress, as the VPs are a key process of the Security framework of which compliance is assessed annually. In supporting our commitment to security and human rights, AngloGold Ashanti also complies with the WGC Conflict Free Gold Standard, the WGC Responsible Gold Mining Principles Standards and the ICMM Performance Expectations for members.

AngloGold Ashanti further acknowledges that our social licence to operate means that we demonstrate that we have extracted gold in a manner that does not fuel conflict. In this regard, regular security threat and risk assessments are conducted, to identify the potential for conflict and appropriate mitigation measures implemented.

We also engage public security and civil society to assist in our implementation efforts, to ensure that our security management practices are consistent with the intent of the VPs.

To ensure the appropriate level of protection for AngloGold Ashanti's people and assets, the Company uses its own security employees, private security providers, and public security services. At the same time, it strives to manage security in such a way that the human rights of individuals and communities affected by the Company's activities are safeguarded.

In all countries in which AngloGold Ashanti operates, threat and risk assessments are conducted to determine which security resources are required. In Colombia, Tanzania, Ghana and Guinea, risk assessments categorise threats as high and require the involvement of state police and/or military units (public security services) on a near-permanent basis.

In addition, almost all the Company's operations incorporate private security providers. As with public security, the decision to use private security is made after formal risk and threat assessments. These assessments help determine the correct number and composition of security personnel as well as their roles, and the level of protection equipment and type of weapons, which is largely dependent on the potential for conflict and ensuring the protection of staff. Carrying of

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Anglogold Ashanti plc published this content on May 30, 2025, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via Public Technologies (PUBT), unedited and unaltered, on May 30, 2025 at 12:01 UTC.