GeoProMining invests $1,5mn to Armenian social projects in 2011

The exclusive interview of GeoProMining – GPM company president Roman Khudoly with “ARKA” news agency.

R. Khudoly- The company continues developing its active operation on the enterprises in Armenia, Georgia, and Russia that is estimated through the company’s careful attitude to its staff and the residents who live in the regions where these enterprises work. The total amount of GPM Gold’s and Agarak copper-molybdenum plant’s social investments in 2011 hit more than $1.5 million in Armenia.Also the company permanently interacts with the State authorities as well as local administrations that allows GPM to respond advertently to the needs of the residents in the regions, where the company operates, and to inject charity funds into the projects which are more actual for the local population. The company regularly finances social projects targeted at the infrastructure development, fire and rescue services, energy and water supply, repair of hospitals, schools, kindergartens. Also one of the GPM social activity priorities is to traditionally support the socially vulnerable population groups. 

We have regardfully analysed the projects of the last year and received recommendations from the international specialists working in the sphere of corporate social responsibility (CSR), after what we consulted local administrations to determine the most urgent needs of the local population. 

This information appeared as a basis for composing 2012 budget. We will keep on developing the principal course of our “ Resources for the benefit” corporate program paying special attention to the projects directed to working with our staff and their families as well as ecology issues. 

 

R. Khudoly- Keeping in mind that the sustainable development is one of GPM main strategic principles, we shifted in 2011 from non-methodical projects to systematic ones within Corporate Social Responsibility. As a result the company launched “Resources for the benefit” complex program.

The program embraces all the aspects of social responsibility that includes the attentive attitude to the staff, minimization of environmental impact, concern about local communities and close interaction with the State authorities in the scope of social-economic development. These spheres will become the CSR priorities of the company in 2012.

R. Khudoly- During several years GPM in cooperation with Social investment Fund of the Armenian government, which implements World Bank projects in the country, has been realizing projects aimed at the social development of the regions. 

The agreement endorsed between GPM and Fund as well as administration of Ararat region on February 8 authorizes implementation of the charity project directed to building a kindergarten. This project was initiated by the president of Armenia Serge Sargsyan on his visit to Ararat region in the middle of the last year to respond to the needs of the region’s residents. 

Thus, the kids are already expected to have a new kindergarten in the beginning of 2013 due to Social Investments Fund and $250 thousand investments by GPM.

GPM also supports local administrations to organize different environment protection events as well as create improved and favourable conditions for residents in Vardenis, Ararat and Agarak. 

In 2011 significant funds were spent on the purchase of garbage equipment and snow removal trucks. In 2012 we plan to buy sweeper trucks for keeping town streets clean.

 

R. Khudoly- Currently 815 people work in GPM Gold company which explores Sotsk gold mining and runs Ararat Gold Recovery Factory. After we launch the new trend in the factory, based on the unique modern technology “Albion,” the construction of which started in 2011, we can hire more people. Agarak copper- molybdenum plant employs 930 workers. GPM enterprises in Armenia are specialized in single-industry and provide with jobs 70-80% of the working- age population in Agarak, Vardenis, and Ararat.

The company acts as a responsible employer: our wage is one of the highest in this field. We often organize qualification trainings for the workers with different specializations. It helps to stimulate their professional development. Our employees receive an appropriate social package and get annual medical examination in the best medical centres of the country. The company organizes also bright New Year celebrations as well as sport and cultural events for the children of our workers.

 

R. Khudoly- Any industrial production has an impact on environment and our company’s responsibility is to try to minimize that negative impact. We regularly check the level of impact on the environment and take a regardful look at following all the normative indicators. 

Every event that is targeted to the company’s development is organized only after we have detailed consultations with the specialists scoping in the environment protection sphere. Our main priority is to do our work in accordance with the legislature.

Events organized in the frame of the industry modernization program respond to the best international ecological standards. This is proved by the fact that the world best ecology experts from such companies as Fraser Alexander, Epoch  и Digby Wells Environment participate in our project. The new unique and modern technology “Albion” which will be exploited in Ararat Gold Recovery Factory, corresponds to the world best ecological standards.  

 

R.Khudoly- GPM pays great attention to preserving national traditions, culture and art in all the regions it operates. We were one of the general sponsors of the celebrations dedicated to the 20th anniversary of independence in Armenia. The company also actively participated in organizing and preparing celebration events.

When visiting Yerevan GPM administration never misses the opportunity to get introduced with the historical heritage of the Armenian nation. At the end of the last year when I visited Armenia with Siman Viktorovich ( Siman Povarenkin, the chairman of GPM Board of Directors - “ARKA”) we had a chance to go to National History Museum and get introduced to the exposition dedicated to the Armenian mining history.

Being an international company, GPM participates enthusiastically in the projects goaled to strengthen mutual understanding and expansion within the international cooperation between Russia and Armenia. Since 2009 the company has been backing the project on Russian language knowledge improvement in Armenia, which is implemented by the Charitable Foundation for Russian Language promotion under the auspices of the Embassy of Russian Federation in Armenia.

GPM finances opening computer classrooms for interactive teaching of Russian language. The classrooms are equipped with the modern technical tools for communication and detailed teaching books. This charity project promotes Russian language learning as well as its spread and popularization in Armenia as an inseparable part of the world culture, present instrument of international communication and CIS business language as well as economic cooperation development between Armenia and Russia. 

GPM in cooperation with Russian Embassy also backs Russian Drama Theater after K. Stanislavsky in Yerevan, which is one of the brightest cultural establishments in Yerevan and a popular place for staging Armenian and Russian playwrights’ works. In December 2011 the theater showed the first night of Sergey Dovlatov’s play “Abanamat”. The staging became possible due to financing made by the company. -0-