The health, safety, environmental and social assessments that we conduct in association with new development projects, coupled with the input we gain from dialogue with indigenous groups themselves, help us identify any potential impacts our project may have on an indigenous community. As part of our impact assessment and dialogue process, we partner with representatives chosen by the potentially impacted indigenous communities in order to identify strategies that we should avoid or actions we can take to mitigate negative impacts.

We seek to document the agreements we reach with indigenous communities regarding the impact of our activities and mitigation strategies. This documentation takes the form that best fits the local process and the indigenous community’s desire for engagement. For example, the documentation may be part of a permit proceeding or a separate Memorandum of Understanding with representatives chosen by the indigenous community. It also may summarize discussions held during our consultations with the indigenous community. The documentation can then be shared with the community’s chosen representatives to ensure mutual understanding about the agreement.