Summary
Highlights for Wednesday, 9 October 2019
Delegates to the AGM attended panel sessions throughout the day, where they shared country strategies and examples of good practice on a range of issues, including low-carbon minerals, post-mining transitions, and support for economic and social transition in coal areas. The World Bank presented its Climate-Smart Mining Programme, and the Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD) introduced the European Partnership for Responsible Minerals (EPRM), which seeks to increase the benefits to local communities in conflict-affected and high-risk areas. Several speakers noted the pressures on resource-rich countries from the increased global demand for minerals and metals used in electric vehicles. They anticipated that the increased demand for lithium, while providing an opportunity for resource-rich countries, also poses challenges including managing expectations of social benefits, coping with price volatility, and assuaging trade tensions between producer and consumer countries. At lunchtime, the OECD presented its Guiding Principles for Durable Extractive Contracts, and the Geological Survey of Ireland presented its Tellus Programme, an ambitious mapping initiative that provides an environmental baseline of the country. The day’s highlights included small group discussions about steps that governments and companies can take to promote gender equality in the mining sector. Delegates also shared with each other concrete mechanisms for balancing economic, environmental and social interests when planning for mine closure. Towards the close of the day, delegates took part in discussions about the future of mining, and heard a report-back from the Global Tailings Review, which is seeking to develop a global standard for management of mine tailings, to avoid future disasters such as the collapse of the Brumadinho tailings dam in Brazil earlier in the year.
IISD Reporting Services, through its ENB+ meeting coverage, has provided daily digital coverage, daily reports, and a summary report from the 2019 AGM. The summary report is available in HTML and PDF.
Photos by IISD/ENB | Mike Muzurakis
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Government Strategies for Low-Carbon Minerals
The Value of Planning: Mine Closure and Post-Mining Transition
Supporting Transition in Coal Regions
Transformative Tools for Promoting Gender Equality in Mining Governance
ASM Minerals for Climate Resiliency
Global Tailings Review
European Partnership for Responsible Minerals (EPRM)
Stranded Mineral Assets and the Future of Mining: Evidence and Practice
Between Sessions
