Trust building leads to increased Indigenous participation in mining audits

The Initiative for Responsible Mining Assurance (IRMA) increased community participation in mine site audits by prioritizing local requests for flexible scheduling.

In Chile, a mining company agreed to postpone a scheduled audit on the Salar de Atacama salt flats. The delay allowed Indigenous leaders more time to coordinate with a government-led consultation process. This adjustment resulted in a report that included six times more references to the voices of Indigenous Peoples than previous audits.

IRMA staff traveled to five continents, including Australia, Argentina, Indonesia, and Sweden, to build relationships with local stakeholders. The organization aims to move mining engagement from passive attendance to active participation. In Shurugwi, Zimbabwe, the Unki mine transitioned its Community Engagement Forum to a quarterly meeting schedule. This change helped the mine share simplified environmental data, such as water sample results, with the local population. The auditing system now involves over 100 mining companies.

IRMA maintains the credibility of these audits by ensuring that six different groups, including local communities, collectively set the standards for how mines are measured. The organization also uses a feedback mechanism to address accessibility issues, such as ensuring people without internet access can participate in the audit process.