2016 Annual General Meeting of the Intergovernmental Forum on Mining, Minerals, Metals and Sustainable Development (IGF) - The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Mining

The 2016 Annual General Meeting of the Intergovernmental Forum on Mining, Minerals, Metals and Sustainable Development (IGF) will focus on the theme, “The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Mining.” Three components will comprise the 2016 IGF gathering at the Palais des Nations in Geneva, Switzerland. On Monday, 24 October, government delegates will convene for an Intergovernmental Workshop. From Tuesday-Thursday, 25-27 October, the IGF Annual General Meeting will take place, with agenda items including a comparative analysis of the SDGs against the Mining Policy Framework and sessions focused on mining and specific SDGs. On Friday, 28 October, a SDG Implementation Workshop will take place.

The IGF serves as a global venue for dialogue among 55 member country governments, mining companies and industry associations. It is focused on improving resource governance and decision making by governments working in the sector. Its work is largely framed by its flagship policy guidance and assessment tool, the Mining Policy Framework (MPF), which identifies best practices in six key pillars of mining policy and law: the legal and policy environment; financial benefit optimization; socio-economic benefit optimization; environmental management; mine closure and post-mining transitions; and artisanal and small-scale mining. The IGF was created following the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development as a Type 2 partnership.