Anglogold says it respects human rights

Accra, June 20, GNA - AngloGold Ashanti on Monday stressed its commitment to respect the human rights of Ghanaians saying it is a value driven company, which strives to treat all individuals with dignity and respect.

In a statement issued by the Public Affairs Department of the company, it noted that allegations of human rights abuses, some of which were being repeated in the media, dated back to between 1995 and 2006.

"We take consolation in the fact that there have been no new allegations since early 2006", it stated. 93Ensuring compliance with the Voluntary Principles on Security and Human rights framework, as the company insists, has clearly borne fruit."

The company said it had engaged the NGO, Wassa Communities against Mining (WACAM), which had been publicizing these issues, in discussions about how best to resolve them. The statement said: 93It has not been easy to reach finality on events where there is no conclusive evidence despite the best efforts of both parties.

"Nonetheless, in a number of cases the company has, on humanitarian grounds, provided assistance for individuals to enable them to obtain medical attention, for instance. This reflects how much Anglogold Ashanti sympathizes with people even where it may not be responsible for their plight."

It said since the merger between AngloGold and Ashanti Goldfields in 2004, AngloGold Ashanti had been actively investigating allegations about injuries and even deaths from incidents involving its own employees, security personnel and national security agencies. It emphasised that these incidents had arisen from illegal mining activities of 93galamsey" gangs who had, in many instances, been heavily armed and had attacked security personnel of Anglogold Ashanti, adding, 93We believe it is necessary for human rights concerns to be extended to the staff of the company as well."

The statement said Anglogold Ashanti was currently undergoing a Renewal Programme, which sought to upgrade all aspects of its operations in Ghana, adding that, the social and environmental aspects of this programme were of particular importance.

The statement said since the company's entry into Ghana in 2004, AngloGold Ashanti had invested almost $800 million in the Ghanaian operations.

The investment had been focused on reshaping the aged infrastructure, upgrading the mining methods and seeking to rectify, as rapidly and as far as possible, both social and environmental legacies, in accordance with the company's values.

"Eliminating a more than 100-year legacy at Obuasi, particularly, could not be achieved in a very short period of less than seven years."

It said any assessment of its performance in Ghana needed to be seen in the context of the more than 110 year history of mining. "In the past, parts of the country's mineral endowment were exploited using mining and environmental management methods that are unsatisfactory by today's standards.

"AngloGold Ashanti has not only committed to playing its part in addressing these issues, but believes that its actions of the past seven years 96 and in years to come 96 will contribute greatly to creating and sustaining improvements in operations as well as relationships with communities in the areas where we work." AngloGold Ashanti said it would continue to liaise with and engage NGOs and other stakeholders and to encourage them to raise issues with management.