Angkor Resources (ANK) has announced a ground-breaking agreement with the Indigenous communities on the Andong Meas license in Cambodia.
The agreement covers exploration through mining and also includes reclamation.
Agreement Highlights
- The communities have outlined their needs regarding culture, livelihoods and the land rights of the Indigenous Jarai villages
- Angkor has committed to providing expertise and local employment, education and training to support the development of mineral projects on the Andong Meas license
- Angkor will also provide technical assistance and education, capacity building, surveying and mapping, and border identification for communities to pursue a communal title on their traditional lands
- Stakeholders have agreed to promote value-added businesses and to guide small enterprise skills such as personal finance, managing credit and budgeting
- Angkor views ESG principles as key to moving its business forward while ensuring the viability of its future mining assets
- The agreement serves as a model for community, industry, government and civil society to benefit Indigenous communities while advancing ethical development
Stephen Burega, Angkor's CEO, stated,
"Land rights continue to be a top priority for the Indigenous peoples and their communities in rural Cambodia. This first-of-its-kind template between a mineral company and these communities in the area illustrates Angkor's strong commitment to social governance for the benefit of all parties.
By implementing the UN's guidelines and Sustainable Development Goals, Angkor sets an example of how communities and companies can work together, manage expectations, protect the environment and improve local governance and skills at each stage of the mining cycle."
Angkor Resources is a Cambodian mineral explorer with a large land package across four 100-per-cent-owned licenses and a fifth under an earn-in agreement with a third party.
Angkor Resources (ANK) is trading flat at $0.055 per share as of 11:19 am ET.