PRIZMA

While PDAC departed from developing a voluntary sustainability reporting framework for its members, adoption of GRI continuous to grow in the mining sector - albeit slowly. (more...)

GRI's G3.1 was launched in March 2011 and includes expanded guidance for reporting on human rights, local community impacts, and gender. According to GRI’s database for 2011, eight out of 102 reporting entries for the mining sector in 2011 have adopted the updated GRI G3.1 guidelines. (more...)

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...)

Prizma's Mehrdad Nazari was engaged by White & Case to serve as an Expert Witness for Claimant in the case of Gold Reserve Inc. v. Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela which is before the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID). According to its press release, Gold Reserve claims damages of approximately $2.1 billion arising from violations of provisions of the Canada-Venezuela bilateral investment treaty resulting in the effective expropriation of Gold Reserve's sizable investments in the Brisas gold/copper project and the Choco 5 property. (more...)

The Lundin Mining Corporation recently completed its 2011 Sustainability Report. As part of this process, Prizma was commissioned to conduct a 3rd Party Check of the report. Prizma has assisted Lundin Mining for the last three reporting cycles. This included benchmarking of Lundin Mining's sustainability reporting.

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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Although 2011 GRI reporting in the US seems to be trailing by nearly 30% from 2010, Canada’s numbers remain largely on par. But has push by government and PDAC been effective? (more...)

OECD Watch reports that UK National Contact Point for OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises re-initiated review of BHP Billiton's bypass case of its MOZAL smelter in Mozambique after IFC Compliance Advisor Ombudsman appears to have failed to facilitate a resolution of this case.  (more...)