Aurum's business activities directly affect the lives of many people – including employees, investors, neighbours and commercial partners. This brings a social responsibility to be a good corporate citizen and with it a requirement to ensure that all those with a stake in Aurum can benefit from their relationship with the Company.

Being socially responsible - and investing in and working together with stakeholders - is at the heart of what it means to be a good corporate citizen and Aurum currently focuses its efforts where its impacts are greatest and where it can make the most difference.

For example, the Company has taken a number of initiatives to develop a good working relationship with the local population in Kyrgz as well as with regional, local and national government. At Kopero Bazar (which is located within view of the proposed Andash mining venture), we have sought the opinions of groups representing the local population, local government and NGOs to monitor and minimise any negative impact on social structures. Furthermore we have set up a social fund which has actively participated in both local health and education projects, and we are currently negotiating with representative parties to further advantage the local population.

Our future recruitment policy in Kyrgz will be to educate, train and employ the local labour force wherever possible. Although education levels in the region are already high, Aurum intends to augment this to ensure the local population benefit most from the increased economic activity that a successful mining project will create. All of this activity will be carried out with the support of, and backing from, local and national government.

The Company’s activities naturally have an environmental impact and Aurum undertakes detailed studies of the environmental aspects of all projects that it undertakes. We now have more than one year’s continuous monitoring of the flora, fauna and water quality at Andash that will be included in the environmental impact study managed by Wardell Armstrong International. All technical aspects of the Andash proposed project have been carefully considered to ensure the highest environmental standards. Cognisance is taken of new technological opportunities to reduce environmental risk wherever appropriate.