Juliane Kippenberg
Senior Researcher, Children's rights
Human Rights Watch
28 April 2015
Dear Juliane
YOUR LETTER DATED 19 DECEMBER 2014
Thank you for your letter outlining the findings on child labour in Ghana's artisanal and small scale gold mines.
Rand Refinery is the only LBMA accredited gold and silver refinery in Africa and is also one of only five LBMA appointed referee refiners worldwide. Rand Refinery refines all the gold output from South Africa's large scale mines as well as many of the large and medium scale mines in the rest of Africa.
Currently, Rand Refinery does not directly deal with gold that is sourced from the artisanal and small scale miners (ASM) in Ghana. Gold is sourced from the structured, corporate large scale mines (LSM) which all have appropriate sustainable and responsible mining policies and practices in place.
Rand Refinery is accredited to the LBMA and the Dubai Multi Commodity Centre (DMCC) and is also certified by the Responsible Jewellery Council (RJC) Code of Practice (CoP). Rand is also in conformance with the LBMA responsible gold guidance which has recently been audited by an approved external third party. This level of assurance and conformance also confirms that Rand Refinery has complied with the gold supplement of the OECD Due Diligence Guidance.
Copies of Rand Refinery's Responsible Gold policy can be found on the company's website (www.randrefinery.com) as well the third party assurance reports for the LBMA Responsible Gold Guidance, RJC and other related conformance documentation.
We would be keen to receive a copy of your final report once it is completed.
Yours sincerely,
Mark Lynam
Interim Chief Executive
