Engagement

Identification and Selection of Stakeholders

Barrick has a variety of stakeholder groups, at the global, regional and site level. Through stakeholder and issues mapping, we identify who our stakeholders are and what the key issues are for each stakeholder group. This process of identifying, categorizing and mapping relationships between stakeholders, at each location where we operate, assists us in setting strategic priorities for engagement and consultation. Stakeholder mapping forms the basis for our community engagement programs.

We undertake preliminary stakeholder identification during the exploration phase and have recently hired a community relations expert dedicated to the exploration group to assist in this task at our exploration sites around the world. We complete detailed stakeholder identification as part of the Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) at the outset of a development project. Throughout the operational phase of our mines, stakeholder identification and issues mapping continues and results are reviewed and updated annually. Cultural awareness is critical to identifying relevant stakeholders, including possible vulnerable and minority groups.

Barrick’s Stakeholder Groups

Stakeholders are people or groups that have an interest in the activities of our company. They include:

• employees
• employees’ families
• prospective employees
• communities near our operations
• shareholders
• local, regional and national governments
• suppliers and contractors
• non-government community-based organizations
• international non-government organizations
• socially responsible investment (SRI) groups
• faith-based organizations
• academic institutions
• regulatory authorities
• professional organizations
• peer companies
• labour unions and other collective bargaining associations

Stakeholder Engagement

Ongoing dialogue with stakeholders is one of the most effective tools to help us understand and address the key issues associated with our business. In 2011, Barrick continued to hold meetings in all regions with members of our host communities, local and regional governments, local NGOs and other interested stakeholders. We also engaged with global stakeholder organizations, including international NGOs, SRIs and other investors, through one-on-one meetings, teleconferences, and participation in multi-stakeholder initiatives and industry associations.

For community stakeholders, dialogue starts at an early stage in the life of a mine – well before actual mining begins. We establish active outreach programs in host communities including local village meetings, open houses, site tours, community newsletters, town-hall meetings, both formal and informal question and answer sessions, and one-on-one discussions. We often establish community liaison offices in the local towns and communities in order to provide easier access for community members to discuss issues with company representatives. We make a concerted effort to ensure these offices are community friendly, culturally appropriate and accessible to all. During active operations and through mine closure, we keep the lines of communication open by continuing with public meetings and, in many cases, with the formation of local community advisory groups. For example, at our North Mara mine in Tanzania, we conduct monthly tours of the mine to allow community members to familiarize themselves with the mining operations and also to encourage relationship building between the community and the mine.

In 2011, to improve our understanding of the issues and concerns for our corporate and regional stakeholders, we conducted a baseline survey of nearly 600 external stakeholders, including NGOs, government, industry and investment organizations, as well as close to 3,000 employees. The results of this survey broaden our understanding and assessment of materiality, improve our communications with internal and external audiences and identify performance improvements over time, as well as identify any gaps between perceived versus on-the-ground performance.

For the past four years (2008 – 2011), as part of our annual ICMM Assurance process, independent, third-party consultants completed external stakeholder interviews in all regions where we operate. Corporate stakeholders included NGOs, SRIs, pension funds and investor groups, academics, governments, sustainable development research organizations and trade and mining associations. Site level stakeholders included community members, local landowners, local business people, indigenous peoples, government officials and women’s groups. Results of these stakeholder interviews and our assurance consultant’s recommendations are reviewed by regional leadership, functional leads and senior management each year. The recommendations cover key areas, including stakeholder engagement and transparency regarding the CSR challenges we face. In 2011, we made progress on a number of the recommendations from the 2010 assurance process, including forming a CSR Advisory Board and strengthening corporate stakeholder outreach.

Also, in 2011, we contracted with a third-party consultancy to conduct a survey of corporate stakeholders to identify opportunities for improving our annual Responsibility Report. The results of that survey have informed the structure and contact of this current report. We have provided more data, targets and performance metrics in the report, and more discussion on current risks and management of those risks.