• Otjikoto established a social investment transition strategy for mine closure

  • Continued implementation of the FEMA Project in Fekola

  • Established an internal ASM Management Committee at Fekola

  • Finalization of the fourth iteration of the SDMP at Masbate

B2Gold's community engagement event, ribbon cutting ceremony.

APPROACH TO MANAGING 
SOCIAL ASPECTS AND HUMAN RIGHTS

Our Social Responsibility and Human Rights Policy outlines our commitment to engage openly and respectfully with stakeholders, including vulnerable groups.

We respect community rights, interests, and culture, and where Indigenous Peoples are identified we consult with stakeholders through the premise of Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC). We recognize human rights as defined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and we align our approach to human rights risk management with the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs) and the Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights (VPSHR).

Human Rights

B2Gold has taken a pro-active approach to human rights management by completing human rights risk assessments supported by robust training programs at all operations. In meeting our responsibility to respect human rights we are embedding human rights awareness throughout our organization.

Women farmers displaying fresh produce at a local market.
Woman watering plants in a garden as part of a community development initiative.

Stakeholder engagement

B2Gold engages openly and respectfully with stakeholders to better understand the actual or perceived impacts of our activities, ensure stakeholder views are considered in our operational decision-making, and build constructive and responsive relationships. Our Stakeholder Engagement Performance Standard aligns with the IFC Performance Standards.

COMMUNITY INVESTMENT

Our approach to community investment is based on an inclusive process where the Company, communities, government, and NGO partners work together to identify, select, and implement projects. By placing decision-making in the hands of local stakeholders, B2Gold aims to ensure community ownership, strengthen local capacity and improve alignment between government, community and B2Gold priorities, leading to prosperous and healthy communities.

Students attending an e-learning class as part of a B2Gold education program.

PLANNING FOR MINE CLOSURE

B2Gold applies an integrated and multidisciplinary approach to mine closure and transition, with an awareness of the need to plan for the social and environmental changes that may occur while also ensuring the safety of communities. Our goal is to exercise integrated mine life cycle planning, to reduce closure risks and liabilities, and to create value for the business and our stakeholders.

SECURITY

B2Gold Security management commitments are outlined in our Security and Human Rights Performance Standard, with the objective of driving and improving the implementation of the VPSHR at our sites. VPSHR Risk Assessments of our operations are carried out by third-party consultants, in collaboration with our Security departments.

COMMUNITY FEEDBACK MANAGEMENT

Our Grievance Management Performance Standard guides our approach to grievance management and aligns with the IFC Performance Standards and the effectiveness criteria in the Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.

In 2022, B2Gold developed a global procedure for the Management of Community Feedback, which standardized the Company’s processes across all operations for external stakeholders to provide feedback related to the actual or perceived impacts of our activities, and to ensure that feedback is addressed and resolved in a timely, transparent and culturally appropriate manner.

Resettlement

Resettlement is a complex undertaking which necessitates the consideration of cultural, social, and economic factors and impacts. Ensuring impacted persons are informed of and participate throughout the process can help to create positive outcomes for community wellbeing, including socio-economic opportunities. Resettlement is a salient issue at our Masbate and Fekola operations, which both have ongoing resettlement projects with the potential for impacts on housing, access to land, and livelihoods.