The Responsible Mining Foundation based in Nyon, Switzerland has elected Attorney Samuel Kofi Woods, II as its new Board’s Chair.
A recent dispatch from the Switzerland-based mining advocacy group noted that Atty. Samuel Kofi Woods replaces May Hermanus of South Africa.
Atty. Woods, who is widely referred to as the “Father of the Organized Human Rights Movement in Liberia,” assumed leadership as of Tuesday, October 15 2019 after the quarterly meeting of the Board.
He previously served on the Advisory Council and then a member of the Board for several years.
The Responsible Mining Foundation is an independent research organization based in Switzerland.
The
Foundation believes that minerals and metals mining should benefit the
economies, improve the lives of peoples, and respect the environments of
producing countries – while allowing companies to make a fair and viable
return.
The Foundation therefore encourages continuous
improvement in responsible mining in the minerals and metals industry by
highlighting leading practice and transparently assessing the policies and
practices of companies in the minerals and metals supply chain on economic,
environmental, and social and governance issues.
The Responsible Mining Foundation focuses on research, stakeholder engagement, and the transparent publication of methodologies, results and related data, based on open data principles.
The members of the Responsible
Mining Foundation’s Board function as the supervisory authority of the
Foundation overseeing its strategy, policies and course of action.
The Foundation’s major project is the biennial Responsible Mining Index (RMI Report), a biennial assessment of large, globally-dispersed mining companies’ behavior on six different economic, environmental, social and governance areas: economic development, business conduct, lifecycle management, community wellbeing, working conditions and environmental responsibility.
The first such assessment, RMI Report 2018 , is an evidence-based assessment of 30 large, globally dispersed mining companies, including listed, state-owned and privately-owned companies that together represent approximately 25% of the global value of mining production, cover 51 producing and home countries, and account for 861 operating and 140 closed mine sites.
The RMI Report 2020 will be published on early 2020, based on the widely regarded RMI Framework 2020 that articulates what society can reasonably expect from mining companies on economic, environmental, social and governance matters.
The Liberian Mining Company and global steel giant, Acelor Mittal is also been included in this index.
Atty. Woods, a onetime Minister of Public Works in the government of former Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, takes over from May Hermanus of South Africa while other members of the Board include: Ron Popper (UK), Arent van Wassenaer (Netherlands), Humberto Campodonico (Peru), Magnus Ericson (Sweden) and Afshin Mehrpouya (France).