SMI-ICE-Chile welcomed leaders from the social performance field of mining companies to its headquarters to share experiences and discuss how to address the main challenges facing social performance in the Chilean mining industry.
“We seek to join forces and collaborate on the challenge of creating social value in mining territories,” explained Mónica Morales, leader of Social Performance and Resource Governance at SMI-ICE-Chile. “In a context in which mining companies seek to strengthen or rebuild their relationships with communities and their capacity for social performance, it is important to ensure that the resources dedicated to this task are invested in the best possible way.”
Mónica Morales also mentioned the current impact of social and technological changes and the high expectations of communities in complex environments that are often remote and disconnected from cities.
“Managing this complexity,” he emphasized, “requires experience and a technical approach, which the Sustainable Minerals Institute at The University of Queensland has been researching and developing for a decade through the Centre for Social Responsibility in Mining (CSRM).”
In addition to the Center’s team and representatives, the following executives involved in social performance attended on behalf of the companies: Claudia Sandoval Contreras, from Codelco; Tulcy C. Contreras and Juan Pablo Schaeffer, from Anglo American Chile; Luz Yanez, from Glencore; Mariana Riquelme and Beatriz Sandoval Marmolejo, from Lundin Mining; Catalina Necochea Rodler; Kathy Uribe and Marcelo Glavic, from Albemarle; Juan Pablo Gonzalez Soto, from Río Tinto; and Javier Munoz, from the consulting firm Gestión Comunitaria.
During the breakfast, challenges such as the current strategic position of social performance within the company, the importance of and alignment with international standards, the need for specialized training development that strengthens technical and relational skills, the challenge of moving toward genuine legitimacy that incorporates people’s needs with a focus on territorial development and well-being, and the importance of building trust through transparency, accountability, and ongoing dialogue were addressed.
Finally, one aspect on which there was consensus was the evolution that social value creation in mining has undergone in recent years, moving from a concept of community engagement with a more transactional logic to what is now called social performance, with a more technical approach that incorporates performance indicators, standards, and greater knowledge.
