Summary
The Intergovernmental Forum on Mining, Minerals and Sustainable Development (IGF) opened its AGM on Tuesday at UN Headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland. Isabelle Durant, Deputy Secretary-General, UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), commended IGF’s work in enabling frank discussions about mining challenges and providing technical advice on overcoming negative impacts.
Scott Vaughan, President, International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD), noted the challenges of regulating artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) and the 40 million workers in the sector, as compared with seven million workers in large-scale industrial mining.
In the morning plenary, delegates discussed country experiences with formalizing ASM. They noted that there is no ‘simple dualism’ between legal and illegal forms of mining, and that governance frameworks should consider related issues such as land tenure, property rights, and human rights.
At lunchtime, UN Environment’s International Resource Panel convened a stakeholder consultation on mineral resource governance for sustainable development, and the UN Development Programme (UNDP) launched a publication on ‘Integrating Human Rights into Environmental Governance of Mining.’
In the early afternoon, parallel sessions convened on formalization and management strategies for ASM, and on the Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights. Later in the day, parallel sessions convened on global environmental, social and governance trends, and on voluntary sustainability initiatives for the mining sector.
Participants discussed approaches to formalization, including member countries’ special licensing processes and delineation of dedicated zones for ASM. Panelists highlighted the rise of investor and consumer concerns about labor conditions and environmental impacts associated with the mining sector.
In the evening, delegates attended a reception at the conference venue, hosted by UN Environment.
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Session 1: Formal Opening and Secretariat Update
(L-R) Matthew Bliss, Deputy Director, IGF Secretariat; Greg Radford, Director, IGF Secretariat; Scott Vaughan, President of IISD; Glenn Gemerts, IGF Executive Committee Chair; and Isabelle Durant, Deputy Secretary-General, UNCTAD
Glenn Gemerts, IGF Executive Committee Chair
Isabelle Durant, Deputy Secretary-General, UNCTAD
Scott Vaughan, President of IISD
Delegates applaud the work of IGF Executive Committee Chair Glenn Gemerts.
Session 2: ASM Formalization
Serge Hervé Boyogueno, Director of Mines, Cameroon
Estelle Levin-Nally, Director, Levin Sources
(L-R) Alec Crawford, IGF Secretariat; María Daniela Barragán Calderón, Undersecretary of ASM, Ministry of Mining, Ecuador; Mandakhbat Sereenov, Head of Legal Division, Ministry of Mining and Heavy Industry, Mongolia; Estelle Levin-Nally, Director, Levin Sources; Glenn Gemerts, IGF Executive Committee Chair; Serge Hervé Boyogueno, Director of Mines, Cameroon; Mamadou Barry, Senior Mining Specialist, World Bank; and Greg Radford, Director, IGF Secretariat
Mandakhbat Sereenov, Head of Legal Division, Ministry of Mining and Heavy Industry, Mongolia
María Daniela Barragán Calderón, Undersecretary of ASM, Ministry of Mining, Ecuador
A view of the room during the session on ASM Formalization
Session 3: Formalization and Management Strategies for
ASM – License Areas and ASM Zones
(L-R) Matthew Bliss, Deputy Director, IGF Secretariat; John Kanyangira, Director, Support Services in Mining Investment and Business
Development, Rwanda; Alexander Medina, Director General of the Mining, Ministry of Energy and Mines, Dominican Republic; Gudrun Franken, Head of Unit Mining and Sustainability, Federal Institute
for Geoscience and Natural Resources (BGR), Germany; Yeni Srihartati, Head of Social Services, Community and Villages Empowerment
Department in Belitung Timur Local Government, Indonesia; and Willison Mutagwaba, Managing Director, MTL Consulting Company Limited
(L-R) Alexander Medina, Director General of the Mining, Ministry of Energy and Mines, Dominican Republic; Gudrun Franken, Head of Unit Mining and Sustainability, Federal Institute
for Geoscience and Natural Resources (BGR), Germany; Yeni Srihartati, Head of Social Services, Community and Villages Empowerment
Department in Belitung Timur Local Government, Indonesia
Session 4: Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights
(L-R) Alan Bryden, Assistant Director and Head of the Public-Private Partnerships
Division, Geneva Centre for the Democratic Control of Armed Forces (DCAF); J. J. Messner, Executive Director, Fund for Peace; Ronald Roosdorp, Director for International Trade Policy and Economic Governance, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Netherlands; Benjamin Aryee, Adviser on Mining, Ministry of Lands & Natural Resources, Ghana; Brent Bergeron, Executive Vice President, Corporate Affairs and Sustainability,
Goldcorp Inc.
Session 5: Global Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Trends
(L-R)Matthew Bliss, Deputy Director, IGF Secretariat; Michael Stanley, Global Lead Extractives, World Bank; Monica Gichuhi, Cabinet Secretary Advisor, Policy, Strategy and
Institutional Reforms, Ministry of Mining, Kenya; and Gregory Kituku, Assistant Director of Mines, Ministry of Mining, Kenya
Session 6: Voluntary Sustainability Initiatives for the Mining Sector
(L-R) Laura Turley, IISD; Matthew Wenban-Smith, Director, OneWorldStandards Ltd; Alan Young, Director, Materials Efficiency Research Group; Sahr Wonday, Director General, National Minerals Agency, Sierra Leone; and Gudrun Franken, Head of Unit Mining and Sustainability, Federal Institute for Geoscience and Natural Resources (BGR), Germany
Side Event: Mineral Resource Governance for Sustainable DevelopmentA stakeholder consultation by UN Environment’s International Resource Panel
Christina Bodouroglou, UN Environment, introduced the work of the International Resource Panel (IRP) toward preparing a report on this topic. Antonio Pedro, UN Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), presented the objectives, structure and timeline of the report, and highlighted the IRP’s proposal to develop a ‘Sustainable Development License to Operate’ (SDLO) as a holistic, multi-level and multi-stakeholder governance framework for enhancing the contribution of the mining sector to sustainable development.
Participants expressed interest in the potential for adopting the SDLO into a large number of small-scale mining operations, and for using this framework to integrate both qualitative and quantitative planning.
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Side Event: UNDP Guidance Report LaunchIntegrating Human Rights into Environmental Governance of Mining
The UN Development Programme (UNDP) launched a report on ‘Integrating Human Rights into Environmental Governance of Mining’. Monica Gichuhi, Ministry of Mining, Kenya, introduced her country’s experiences of public participation in revising the mining code, and including gender perspectives in setting mining regulations. Timothy Scott, UNDP, introduced the report, emphasizing the importance of ‘bottom up’ approaches in revising legislation and guiding implementation.
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Around the Venue
