The Development Partner Institute (DPI) was established in December 2016 and announced its launch at the 2017 Prospectors & Developers Association of Canada (PDAC) convention on March 5. Its mission is to facilitate a shift in the mining industry’s extractive business model towards a more integrated and proactive development partnership approach. The DPI was formed to continue the innovative work catalyzed and incubated by the Kellogg Innovation Network (KIN). It is currently supported by leading companies Anglo American, Exxaro Resources, Hatch and Black Loon Metals.

“Anglo American is delighted to be a founding supporter of the DPI. Our industry lacks a neutral, multi-stakeholder space to explore a number of the broader issues facing mining,” said Mark Cutifani, Chief Executive of Anglo American. “We very much look forward to the DPI providing such a forum for constructive but challenging dialogue about mining and its role in society.”

The Development Partner Framework (DPF) is the foundation of the DPI and will guide all its activities. The framework outlines three core principles to foster sustainable development, ongoing collaboration and a long-term, value-creation culture:

• Shared purpose: working with relevant stakeholders to create a shared vision for the long-term development of host regions.
• Flourishing ecosystems: a robust and resilient natural environment, supporting a healthy community and thriving business.
• Competitive companies, communities and countries: the ability for companies, communities and countries to reach their full potential and realise their individual definition of prosperity — while at all times considering what prosperity means beyond the life of mine and the mining company’s role in catalysing that from day one.

“The DPI’s shared purpose approach to mining is unique. It calls for the host community’s values and aspirations to be at the forefront of new mine planning, operation and closure plans,” said Mark Podlasly, trustee of the Tribal Sovereign Wealth Fund – Nlaka’pamux Legacy Trust. “For indigenous communities, a true shared purpose mine can be a development resource, helping the community meet its goals in partnership with the project.”

The DPF is now being taken to the regional level with the first multi-stakeholder session held in Limpopo province in South Africa. The workshop applied the DPF approach to coordinate a multi-stakeholder effort to enhance socio-economic development in this leading mining province.

“The Development Partner Approach is based on a set of principles that were co-created by a diverse set of stakeholders. It is deliberately not prescriptive so that it can be adapted for local contexts. It is meant to complement the work already happening on the ground,” said Peter Bryant, the DPI’s co-founder and board chair. “The DPI will provide a trusted platform to engage diverse stakeholder groups in inspiring the mining ecosystem to adopt new approaches.”

KIN began its journey in 2012 by convening a group of leaders from mining companies, suppliers, academia, indigenous people, nonprofits and government to create a platform of ongoing collaboration. Through this diverse coalition, under the auspices of the KIN, the Development Partner Framework was created. It has received global attention for its groundbreaking approach, including a silver medal in the prestigious Edison Awards’ Collaborative Innovation category.

“We believe that there is great potential to increase the benefits host communities receive from mining projects. We want communities to prosper not only during operations but more importantly after the life of the mine,” said Kulvir Gill, Founding Executive Director of the DPI.