Challenge
Our client, Rio Tinto, will be closing its operation in rural Indonesia during 2004. This is the first major mine closure of its kind in a developing country. Responsible management of the social, environmental and economic impacts of closure requires engagement with diverse local community groups as well as a fluid and devolving government structures.

Approach
• Synergy acted as an independent facilitator to design and implement an innovative engagement process for interested and affected parties including local and national government, local communities and other organisations.
• We developed a new governance structure for raising and resolving critical issues, enabling equitable negotiation between parties and creating sustainable outcomes.
• We brokered relationships between the company and local NGOs to help co-facilitate the engagement process.

Value
• A decision-making process that creates agreed, and therefore more sustainable, solutions to the challenges of mine closure.
• An agreement between parties over social/environmental standards required before the transition of responsibility to local communities/government.
• Increased participation by key members of the community and government, leading to greater sharing of responsibility for critical closure issues such as long term maintenance of tailings and management of mining infrastructure (e.g. roads).
• Agreed exit strategies from social programmes.