The toolkit provides a common analytical framework that helps to ensure that comparisons can be made of mining’s contributions and impacts across different countries. It has been tested in five countries since 2005 – Chile, Ghana, Peru, Tanzania and the Lao PDR. ICMM is actively seeking more countries to participate in future applications of the toolkit so that the evidence base can be further extended. It can be used by mining companies, mine managers and any other organizations and agencies that have an interest in the relationship between mining and social and economic development outcomes. These will include host-country governments, development agencies and developmentoriented non-governmental organizations
(NGOs). Experience has shown that
applications of the toolkit are more effective if organized in partnership with both mining companies and other stakeholders. The application of the toolkit allows users to develop an improved understanding of what issues, policies and practices may be helping or preventing host communities, regions or the country from benefiting more fully from mining. However, its use does represent a significant commitment of time and resources, and users are advised to tailor their expectations of the likely benefits to the level of resources that they are able to commit.