Panguna

Rio Tinto and Bougainville community residents reach agreement to assess legacy impacts of Panguna mine

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, July 20, 2021
Finance, Natural Resources, Professional services, Legal, Mining, Minerals, Mining, Panguna, Companies, Rio Tinto, Autonomous Region of Bougainville, Papua New Guinea, Jakob Stausholm, Autonomous Bougainville Government, Bougainville Copper, Bougainville conflict

Rio Tinto and Bougainville community members, represented by the Human Rights Law Centre, have reached an agreement to identify and assess legacy impacts of the former Panguna copper mine in Bougainville. This follows several months of constructive discussions facilitated by the Australian OECD National Contact Point (AusNCP).

Key Points: 
  • Rio Tinto and Bougainville community members, represented by the Human Rights Law Centre, have reached an agreement to identify and assess legacy impacts of the former Panguna copper mine in Bougainville.
  • The Panguna Mine Legacy Impact Assessment Committee will be established by the Autonomous Bougainville Government (ABG) and the parties to the AusNCP process, Rio Tinto, the HRLC and the community members the HRLC represents.
  • Rio Tinto chief executive Jakob Stausholm said, This is an important first step towards engaging with those impacted by the legacy of the Panguna mine.
  • In September 2020, the HRLC, representing 156 residents of villages in the vicinity of the Panguna mine, filed a complaint with the AusNCP against Rio Tinto.