During the session on “Imagining the Future of Mining,” participants engage in interactive activities to map and consider gender gaps and impacts.
The 14th AGM of the Intergovernmental Forum on Mining opened today at the UN Palais des Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, with participants from more than 80 countries. Isabelle Durant, Deputy Secretary-General, UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), drew attention to the growing demand for lithium in smartphone batteries. She urged delegates to consider the social and environmental impacts of lithium production, and the governance implications for its regulation.Scott Vaughan, President, International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD), noted that over 70% of the governments around the globe have adopted or are in the process of adopting mining policies, and highlighted that IGF is the only international platform to support government efforts in this area.The IGF Secretariat reported that 14 countries have joined IGF over the past two years, and five new members have undertaken Mining Policy Framework (MPF) assessments in their countries, bringing the current total of completed MPF assessments to 11.Delegates met in plenary in the morning, and in four separate sessions in the afternoon on mining law, gender issues, geological information, and mine inspection systems. Speakers presented country experiences, and considered options for further improvement of mining policy and practice.Presentations took place over lunchtime. Ruth Thomas, Global Agribusiness Alliance, put forward a case for collaboration between the agriculture and mining sectors, and the IGF Secretariat and IISD presented a report on standards and the extractive economy. At the end of the day, delegates attended a reception hosted by the UN Development Programme (UNDP) and the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency (Swedish EPA).
IISD Reporting Services, through its ENB+ Meeting Coverage, provided daily digital coverage and daily reports from the 2018 AGM. In addition, IISD Reporting Services, has published a summary report from the meeting.
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Opening
L-R: Greg Radford, Director, IGF Secretariat; Scott Vaughan, President, IISD; Alexander Medina, Chair, IGF; and Isabelle Durant, Deputy Secretary-General, UNCTAD
Scott Vaughan, President, IISD
Isabelle Durant, Deputy Secretary-General, UNCTAD
Alexander Medina, Chair, IGF
Greg Radford, Director, IGF Secretariat
During the opening session participants watched a video of IGF activities over the past year.
A view from the dais
Modern Mining Law and Policy: Global Trends
Greg Radford, Director, IGF Secretariat; Alexander Medina, Chair, IGF; Hilary Morgan, Natural Resources Canada; Kojo Busia, UN Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA); Tom Butler, Chief Exectuvite Officer (CEO), International Council on Mining and Metals (ICMM); and Mutuso Dhliwayo, Zimbabwe Environmental Law Association
Hilary Morgan, Natural Resources Canada, and Kojo Busia, UNECA
Tom Butler, CEO, ICMM
Mutuso Dhliwayo, Zimbabwe Environmental Law Association
Revision of Mining Codes and Laws: Case Studies
Alec Crawford, IGF Secretariat; Alexander Medina, Chair, IGF; Sakamornsnguan Kridtaya, Ministry of Industry, Thailand; Sylvain Some, Ministry of Mines, Quarries and Energy, Burkina Faso; Moderator Clémence Naré, IGF Secretariat; and Dione Macedo, Ministry of Mines and Energy, Brazil
Alexander Medina, Chair, IGF, and Sakamornsnguan Kridtaya, Ministry of Industry, Thailand
Dione Macedo, Ministry of Mines and Energy, Brazil
Generating and Accessing Geological Information: Innovative and Transparent Approaches
Matthew Bliss, Deputy Director, IGF Secretariat; Natalia Amezcua Torres, Geology Directorate, Mexico; Moderator Rokhaya Samba, Ministry of Mines and Geology, Senegal; and François Prognon, French Geological Survey
François Prognon, French Geological Survey
Natalia Amezcua Torres, Geology Directorate, Mexico
Participants during the session
Imagining the Future of Mining: Mapping and Considering Gender Impacts, Gaps and Policy Responses to Support Progress on the SDGs
Rebecca Iwerks, Natural Resources Governance Institute, and Christopher Sheldon, World Bank
Moderator Uyanga Gankhuyag, UN Development Programme (UNDP)
Teresa Macayo Marín, Ministry of Energy and Mines, Peru
Supervising Mining Practice: Reporting on Developing Mine Inspection Systems
L-R: Gudrun Franken, Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources, Germany; Priscila Armijos Silva, Ministry of Energy and Non-Renewable Natural Resources, Ecuador; and Obete Matine, Ministry of Mineral Resources and Energy, Mozambique
Obete Matine, Ministry of Mineral Resources and Energy, Mozambique
Wolfgang Schirrmacher, Lao-German technical cooperation project
Agriculture and Mining: Exploring the Case for Closer Collaboration
Nick Cotts, Newmont Mining; Ruth Thomas, Director, Global Agribusiness Alliance; Christopher Stewart, Olam; and Marina Ruete, IGF Secretariat
Standards and the Extractive Economy: Taking Stock
Laura Turley, IISD; Gudrun Franken, Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natual Resources, Germany; Ben Chalmers, Mining Association of Canada; and Marina Ruete, IGF Secretariat
Panelists show the publication “Standards and the Extractive Economy” at the end of the session
Around the Venue
L-R: Soga Fati, Ministry of Mines, Niger; Karambe Awa Goundiam, Ministry of Mines and Petroleum, Mali; and Rosalina Langa, UN Development Programme (UNDP)
Richard Magagula, Ministry of Natural Resources and Energy, Swaziland
Ely Boubout and Mohamed Lemine Moustapha, Ministry of Petroleum, Energy and Mines, Mauritania
Participants during a break
The Cambodian delegation
