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Glossary
Aboriginal: See also Indigenous
and Tribal People. The term Aboriginal is used in Canada, Australia
and some other countries instead of indigenous. In Canada, this
designation would refer to the groups who self identify as First
Nations, Inuit and Métis.
Affected Community: The community or communities
subject to the risks or impacts, both positive and negative, arising
from an exploration project. Such communities may be defined as physical
entities or comprise dispersed populations in the area of influence of
an exploration project.
Affected Parties: Groups and individuals subject to the
risks or effects, both positive and negative, arising from an
exploration project.
Area of Influence: The area of influence of a project
includes the primary project site(s) and related lands and facilities
that the explorer and contractors control directly or indirectly,
associated facilities whose viability and existence depend exclusively
on the project and whose goods and services are essential for the
operation of the project; areas impacted by the presence of the project
and the activity of the explorer and its employees, contractors and
service providers, and are as potentially impacted or affected by
further planned or probable developments caused by the project in the
future.
Baseline Surveys: The gathering of data to describe the
existing physical, biological, socio-economic, health, labour, cultural
heritage, or any other variable considered relevant before mine
development as a basis for estimating the impact of development,
planning measures to avoid, manage or mitigate impacts and establish
baseline conditions and indicators against which change resulting from
the presence of a mining project can be measured.
Biodiversity: An integrating concept that includes the
ecosystems within which people of the world live, as well as the
multitude of species that are used by humankind for food, fiber,
medicines, clothing and shelter. Biodiversity is the variety of life in
all its forms, including genetic, species and ecosystem diversity.
Capacity: The sum of the skills, procedures and
organizational ability of individuals, groups, organizations or
institutions to identify, analyze and resolve problems.
Capacity Building: A managed process of a) skills
upgrading, both general and specific; b) procedural improvement; and, c)
organizational strengthening. Capacity building aims to develop the
ability of individuals, groups, institutions and organizations to
identify, analyze and resolve problems.
Chance Finds: Archaeological or cultural sites and
artefacts, including such items as ceramics, tools, buildings, burials,
etc., previously unrecognized in baseline studies that are discovered
during the course of exploration activities.
Child Labour: Work that deprives children of their
childhood, their potential and their dignity, and that is harmful to
physical and mental development, and that is mentally, physically,
socially or morally dangerous and harmful; and interferes with their
schooling by depriving them of the opportunity to attend school,
obliging them to leave school prematurely, or requiring them to combine
school attendance with excessively long and heavy work. Whether or not
particular forms of work can be called child labour depends on the
child's age, the type and hours of work performed, the conditions under
which it is performed and the objectives pursued by individual
countries. The answer varies from country to country, as well as among
sectors within countries.
Civil Society: The network of associations, social
norms and relationships that exist separately from government and market
institutions. Civil society may include religious organizations,
professional associations, labour unions, academic institutions, media,
pressure groups, and environmental, human rights and development groups.
Civil society reflects social diversity and may provide the
intellectual, material and organizational basis for community
interaction with the state and business sectors, including explorers.
Collective Bargaining: Discussions and negotiations
between employers and representatives of workers or workers�
organizations for the purpose of determining working conditions and
terms of employment by joint agreement. Collective bargaining also
includes the implementation and administration of any agreement that may
result and the resolution of other issues that arise in employment
relationships with respect to workers represented by their leadership or
a workers organization.
Community: A social group possessing shared beliefs and
values, stable membership, and the expectation of continuous
interaction. It may be defined geographically, by political or resource
boundaries, or socially as a community of individuals with common
interests.
Community Engagement: An ongoing process of
relationship building that includes the disclosure of information,
consultation with affected communities and creation of a grievance
mechanism, and that provides a framework within which mutual trust may
evolve over time (see also Engagement).
Completion Agreement: A formal agreement, either
written or made orally before witnesses, between an explorer and another
party that provides formal confirmation that the explorer has complied
with a contract, promise or other form of obligation to the other party.
Examples of such agreements include the reclamation of land after
exploration activities and the delivery of benefits to a community.
Conflict of Interest: A conflict of interest exists
when an individual is, or is perceived to be, in a position to exploit a
professional or official capacity in some way for their personal
benefit. Such situations make it difficult for an
individual to act or, more importantly, be perceived to act impartially.
A conflict of interest exists even if no unethical or illegal act
results from the situation; hence it is necessary to be proactive in the
avoidance of any circumstance in which a conflict of interest may exist
or be perceived to exist.
Consultation: A process of two-way communication
between the explorer and the affected communities and other
stakeholders. Consultation should be undertaken in a manner that is
inclusive, respectful, and culturally appropriate and that provides
affected communities and other stakeholders with opportunities to
express their views on project risks, impacts and mitigation measures,
and allows the explorer to consider and respond to them.
Cultural Heritage: Unique and non-renewable resource
that possesses cultural, historic, scientific, spiritual or religious
value and includes immovable objects, sites, structures, natural
features or landscapes that have archaeological, paleontological,
historical, cultural, artistic and religious values, as well as unique
environmental features that embody cultural values.
Cumulative Impacts: The combination of multiple impacts
arising from existing projects or activities, the exploration project in
execution, and any anticipated future project or activity that may
result in significant adverse and/or beneficial impacts that would not
arise from the original project.
Customary and Usufruct Use of Land and Resources:
Patterns of longstanding land use and resource use in accordance with
customary laws, values, customs and traditions, including rotational,
cyclical and shared use, rather than formal title to land and resources
issued by the state.
Development Benefits and Opportunities: Benefits and
opportunities provided with the aim of improving the standard of living
and livelihoods of host and affected communities in a manner that is
culturally appropriate and fosters long term sustainability of the
resources on which they depend. Such benefits and opportunities should
be commensurate with the degree of project impacts.
Disclosure: The process of providing information to
project impacted communities and other stakeholders that is timely,
understandable and in the appropriate language(s). This should include
information on the purpose, nature and scale of the project, the
duration of the proposed project activities, and the potential risks to
and potential impacts on such communities of not only the exploration
project, but also those that may arise should exploration lead to
development of a mine.
Discrimination in Employment: Any distinction,
exclusion or preference with respect to recruitment, hiring, working
conditions or terms of employment made on the basis of personal
characteristics unrelated to inherent job requirements that nullifies or
impairs equality of opportunity or treatment in employment or
occupation.
Due Diligence: Process of evaluation of the risks,
opportunities and costs of an exploration project on which an informed
decision can be made as to whether or not further investment in
exploration is justified.
Economic Displacement: Loss of assets or access to
assets that leads to loss of income or means of livelihood.
Engagement: A process of relationship building comprising contact,
dialogue and interaction that assures that project affected communities
and other stakeholders are adequately informed and can participate in
decisions that affect their lives in a manner that is acceptable to
them.
Exploration: The systematic endeavour of searching for
and evaluating potentially commercially viable concentrations of
minerals (commonly called ore). Exploration is considered to encompass
those activities involved in area selection, discovery, definition,
economic and technical evaluation of mineral deposits, beginning with
conceptual planning and extending through reconnaissance, prospecting,
ore deposit identification and measurement, environmental and social
baseline surveys for impact assessment, and ending with the initiation
of financial feasibility studies.
Explorers: Companies, corporations, firms, syndicates,
partnerships, groups and individuals involved in the management and
execution of mineral exploration.
Financial (Final) Feasibility Study: An estimate based
on commercial considerations that includes project investment, operating
and maintenance costs together with relevant costs for managing and
mitigating environmental and social impacts that establish whether a
project is economically viable or non-viable to the proponent.
Forced Labour: Forced labour is any work or service
exacted or coerced from a person under threat of force or penalty, or
work otherwise not performed voluntarily. Forced labour includes any
kind of involuntary or compulsory labour, such as indentured labour,
bonded labour or similar labour arrangements. Prison labour should also
be considered as forced labour unless the prison inmate volunteers for
the work assigned.
Free Prior and Informed Consent: In certain
circumstances, for indigenous peoples the right of Free, Prior and
Informed Consent (FPIC) may be understood as a requirement,
pre-requisite and manifestation of their fundamental right to self
determination established under international law. Such self
determination includes the right to determine development in accordance
with their own cultures, needs and circumstances and by definition the
right to say no to mineral exploration and mining. From
a practical perspective, this leads to a requirement for explorers to
obtain formal permission from indigenous peoples before initiating any
activities on the traditional lands of these people. On occasion, the
concept of FPIC conflicts with national laws and statutes where mineral
rights are held by the state, leading to a high risk of confrontation
around mineral exploration and mining projects.
Free Prior and Informed Consultation: Consultation that is free of
intimidation or coercion and that provides timely disclosure of
information that is relevant, understandable and accessible.
Consultation should take place before the activity under consideration
is initiated and continue through the entire life of the project, and
not only during the early stages of exploration.
Grievance and Dispute Resolution Mechanism: Mechanisms
to receive and facilitate resolution of concerns and grievances related
to: a) compensation for damage or harm raised by persons or members of
host communities; b) social and environmental performance by the
explorer; c) employment and reasonable workplace concerns.
Hazardous Waste: Substances identified as hazardous on
specific lists or characterized as having at least one of the following
characteristics: ignitability, reactivity, radioactivity, corrosivity or
toxicity, or appearing on designated lists.
Host Community: Community or communities within whose
legal, customary or traditional lands the exploration project and
associated infrastructure are located.
Human Rights: The basic rights and freedoms to which
all humans are entitled, which include civil and political rights, such
as the right to life and liberty, freedom of expression, and equality
under the law; and social, cultural and economic rights, including the
right to participate in culture, the right to food, the right to work,
and the right to education.
Impact: Any effect, whether anticipated or
unanticipated, positive or negative, brought about by the activity of
exploration.
Indigenous and Tribal
Peoples: (also referred to as Aboriginal Peoples) Distinct
social and cultural groups which may be defined by legal statute or
recognized by displaying some or all of the following characteristics in
varying degrees: self identification as members of a distinct indigenous
cultural group and recognition of this identity by others; collective
attachment to geographically distinct habitats or ancestral territories
and to natural resources in these habitats and territories; customary
cultural, economic, social or political institutions that are separate
from those of the dominant society or culture; an indigenous language,
often different from the official language of the country or region.
Informed Participation: Informed participation involves
organized and iterative consultation leading to the explorer
incorporating into decision making processes the views of the affected
communities on matters that affect the communities directly, such as
proposed mitigation measures, participation in benefits and
opportunities, and project implementation issues.
In-kind Compensation: Compensation for harm, loss or
access to land made in goods or resources that are of equivalent or
greater value to the loss or harm or as agreed to for access, and that
are culturally appropriate.
Institutional Development: The strengthening,
improvement and advancement of the organizational, operational and
intellectual abilities of institutions to function for the benefit of
their members or constituents, notably the institutions of government at
all levels and civil society.
International Convention see
International Treaty
International Good Practice: The exercise of skill,
diligence, prudence and foresight that would reasonably be expected from
similar corporations or individuals engaged in the same type of
undertaking under the same or similar circumstances at any location
globally. Examples of such good practice are the Performance Standards
on Environmental and Social Sustainability published by the
International Finance Corporation.
International Treaty:
An agreement entered into between states or international organizations
as actors in international law. A treaty may also be known as a
convention, protocol, covenant, accord, agreement, memorandum of
understanding, etc. When ratified by a sovereign state, treaties become
part of national laws and protocols.
Local Community: The community or communities living
within the area of influence of the project.
Marginalized, Disadvantaged or Vulnerable Groups:
Individuals or groups within the project area of influence who could
experience impacts more severely than others based on their vulnerable
or disadvantaged status. This status may stem from an individual's or
group's race, colour, sex, age, language, religion, political or other
opinion, national or social origin, birth or other status. In addition,
other factors should be considered such as gender, ethnicity, culture,
sickness, physical or mental disability, poverty or economic
disadvantage, and dependence on unique natural resources.
No-Go Circumstances: Social, political, economic or
technical situations that lead to a decision not to initiate or continue
physical work and withdraw from an exploration project.
Occupational Health and Safety: The range of endeavours
aimed at protecting workers from injury or illness associated with
exposure to hazards in the workplace or while working.
Participatory Monitoring: The involvement of affected
communities or other project stakeholders in the monitoring of
environmental and social management, mitigation procedures and the
verification of information to ensure that such procedures are
appropriate and effective.
Physical Displacement: Relocation or loss of home or
shelter.
Pre-feasibility Study: An estimate of commercial
considerations made on the basis of proven ore reserves, conceptual
designs for mining and processing, and probable operating and capital
costs that establish whether
a project is economically viable or non-viable to the proponent.
Project Life Cycle: The progress of a project from
conceptual planning through physical execution, to termination or
closure and decommissioning.
Security: Measures taken to guard against espionage,
sabotage, crime (theft, assault) or attack on the activities of an
explorer.
Security Forces: Organizations hired to undertake the
task of security that have the ability to apply the legitimate use of
force, usually armed force.
Security Personnel: Individuals hired to undertake the
task of security who have the ability to apply the legitimate use of
force, usually armed force.
Stakeholders: Individuals or groups that are influenced
by, or have the ability to, influence an exploration project.
Sustainable Development: Sustainable development is
generally understood as development that meets the needs of today
without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their
needs. In the context of exploration, sustainable development is
considered to be actions and activities that protect and preserve the
environment and improve the wellbeing of the community or ability of the
community to manage and sustain its own affairs now and into the future
without depending on external sources for their ongoing maintenance.
Traditional Knowledge: Traditional knowledge
encompasses the beliefs, knowledge, wisdom, values, teachings,
practices, innovations, arts, spirituality, and other forms of cultural
experience and expression created by indigenous and tribal communities.
In many cases, traditional knowledge is preserved and transmitted orally
between individuals and generations and expressed in the form of
stories, legends, rituals, songs or laws.
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