PRIZMA

In 1995, the Kyrgyz Republic established the Sary-Chat Ertash Reserve or Zapovednik (SCER/SCEZ) near Centerra Gold’s high altitude Kumtor gold mine. While inaccurate maps and politics seem to fuel misunderstandings about the SCER’s boundaries and Kumtor’s impacts, an important question deserves more attention: Is the SCER just another ‘paper park’ or is it generating biodiversity value? (more...)

- Assessing Kyrgyz Commission’s Report on Centerra Gold’s Kumtor Gold Mine

- Supporting ScottsMiracle-Gro with CR Reporting 

- Supporting Claimant at International Arbitration Hearing case before ICSID

-Completing 3rd Party Check for Lundin Mining’s 2011 Sustainability Report

You can access the  PDF version of the newsletter here or request via email here. Looking forward to your comments and suggestions.

Centerra Gold’s Kumtor Gold Company commissioned Prizma to provide an Independent Assessment of a Kyrgyz Commission's Evaluation of Compliance with Environmental and Industrial Safety Standards at the high altitude Kumtor Gold Mine. Topics covered in Prizma’s report (which is also being translated for distribution) include transparency, water quality, biodiversity, glaciers, water consumption, geotechnical and mine closure issues. (more...)

Even the most diverse projects in different parts of the world tend to share some communalities in terms of context. And sometimes, recognizing these can be very sobering. Two recent assignments in the lawn and garden sector in North America (ScottsMiracle-Gro) and the mining sector in Central Asia (Centerra Gold's Kumtor mine) drove home the importance of climate change issues.

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In advance of the gathering of Equator Banks for the fifth Community of Learning event hosted by the IFC this week, BankTrack published its critical review: The Outside Job -Turning the Equator Principles towards people and planet. (more...)

The Consultancy Services Unit of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development is conducting an outreach to US-based consultants in Chicago (Nov 30) and Washington DC (Dec 1).  (more...)

In its recent CODE Progress Report on IFC Sustainability Framework Review and Update ( December 1, 2010), IFC notes that, with exceptions (such as the Access to Information Policy), majority of proposed changes are clarifications rather than material changes.  (more...)

As I note that another bank - NIBC - has joined the group of financial institutions which have adopted the Equator Principles, I recalled a friendly request and equally friendly but probing questions prompting this blog entry. (more...)

Paging through Scotiabank’s C-Level Sustainability report, two somewhat misleading lines in the CEO Letter (!) about assurance by CBSR caught my attention and made be chuckle - TGIF! (more...)

 Jointly with GRI, the International Finance Corporation (IFC, part of the World Bank Group) published a bridging document showing how strategies, system and data points developed to meet IFC Performance Standards can be used to generate GRI-type sustainability reports. About time to help capital project developers/sponsors to leverage expensive compliance reporting to create more shareholder value! (more...)