It is our aim that these Principles will become a credible and widely recognised framework through which gold mining companies can provide confidence that their gold has been produced responsibly. The Responsible Gold Mining Principles are intended to recognise and consolidate existing standards and instruments under a single framework. A number of leading standards already exist that address specific aspects of responsible gold mining, including the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, the OECD Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Business Conduct and the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative. Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises and the International Council on Mining and Metals’ (ICMM) Performance Expectations. Prior to the development of the Responsible Gold Mining Principles, there was no single coherent framework that defined responsible gold mining.