In 2024, we laid the foundation for many of the initiatives currently in progress for managing our negative impact and risks associated with failing to respect Indigenous Peoples’ rights and ensuring FPIC in our own operations. We began by developing a global guidance for social and human rights impact assessments, which will allow us to proactively manage these risks and impacts before the construction of new projects.

Furthermore, we finalised our internal guidelines for free, prior, and informed consent (FPIC), a framework designed to ensure respectful and transparent engagement with Indigenous communities. These guidelines guarantee that we secure consent from Indigenous communities before initiating projects that might impact their lands or cultural heritage.

Overall, our 'Code of conduct for business partners' and policies on human rights and stakeholder engagement describe our approach to:

• respecting Indigenous Peoples, minorities, and other vulnerable groups in line with international law and standards as described in the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, including the principles of FPIC
• respecting land rights of legitimate tenure rights holders as set out in the UN Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests
• ensuring the safety and protection of defenders of human rights, the environment, or Indigenous Peoples
• mandating that our business partners take measures to protect environmental and human rights defenders and other interested parties who lawfully exercise their freedom of speech.

We engage in early and ongoing dialogue with local communities and Indigenous Peoples by hosting e.g. consultation sessions, attending community meetings, and conducting surveys. This approach helps us gather insights to better understand their external perspectives on our projects and the local impacts. We aim to build an approach based on transparent communication, co-creation of mitigation measures, and on ensuring that feedback is integrated into project planning and execution.

Through our policies, we commit to provide and enable remedies for potential human rights impacts by implementing accessible grievance mechanisms that allow affected individuals and communities to report concerns or violations, ensuring these channels are user-friendly, confidential, and culturally appropriate. Upon receiving a grievance, we must promptly investigate the issue and engage with the affected parties to gather information and consider their perspectives.

If human rights impacts are identified, we strive to take immediate action and provide appropriate remedies, which may include compensation, restoration of rights, or preventive measures. We also invest in training of our employees and business partners to raise awareness of human rights issues, e.g. related to bullying and discrimination.