Highlights and images for 27 October 2016

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

Summary

The third day of the 12th AGM of the IGF discussed the ASM guidance document and its implementation, mine tailings management, and issues related to open data and transparency. During the morning, participants heard a report about a new IGF guidance document for governments on managing ASM. Parallel sessions considered ASM zones and mine tailings management.

Lunchtime presentations addressed the role of mining in national economies, the impact of automation on the shared-value paradigm, ASM’s role in sustainable development, and community participation in the SDGs and mining. During the afternoon, participants discussed how to enhance stakeholder trust and shared decision making though open data. Member countries also reviewed the meeting’s draft Communiqué, among other agenda items.

During the formal closing session of the AGM, a representative of UNCTAD thanked all participants and partner organizations for their work at the meeting and said: the 2030 Agenda provides a road map to ensure dignity and a better life for all; the mining sector creates challenges and strategies for achieving the SDGs; and further consideration should be given to ASM. She closed by noting that UNCTAD looks forward to welcoming the IGF back to Geneva in late 2017.

Nathalie Bernasconi-Osterwalder, IISD, on behalf of IISD and the IGF Secretariat, welcomed the IGF’s newest member, Liberia, and stressed the value of the meeting’s examination of the mining sector through the lens of the SDGs. She thanked UNCTAD for hosting the meeting and looked forward to working with the IGF’s members and partners to implement the SDGs in the coming year.

Alexander Medina, Ministry of Energy and Mines, Dominican Republic, noted the added-value of understanding mining’s role in achieving the SDGs and emphasized the importance of responsibility to communities in ensuring public acceptance of the mining sector.

IGF Executive Committee Chair Gemerts thanked UNCTAD, IISD, WEF and participants for making this AGM possible and officially closed the meeting at 4:58 pm.

IISD Reporting Services, through its ENB+ Meeting Coverage, has provided daily web coverage, daily reports and a summary report from the IGF Annual General Meeting, which is available in HTML and PDF.
Photos by IISD/ENB | Angeles Estrada
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ASM Guidance Document

Dan Paget, RCS Global, Nicholas Garrett, RCS Global, and Matthew Bliss, IGF Secretariat

Isabelle Ndjole Assouho Epse Tokpanou, Cameroon

Rafael Acosta, and Alexander Medina, Ministry of Energy and Mines, Dominican Republic

Louis Maréchal, OECD

Mohammad Basiri, Iran

Théophile Ndougsa Mbarga, Cameroon

Dan Paget, RCS Global

Toni Aubynn, Minerals Commission, Ghana

Implementation of the ASM guidance – Managing ASM Zones

Klaus Steinmüller, Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources (BGR), Germany,
Toni Aubynn, Minerals Commission, Ghana, Gudrun Franken, BGR, Germany, Glenn Gemerts,
Chair of IGF Executive Committee, Suriname, David Noko, AngloGold Ashanti

Joanne Lebert, Partnership Africa Canada

David Noko, AngloGold Ashanti

Mine Tailings Management - Government Roles and Responsibilities

Richard Morgan, Anglo American

Kristina Thygesen, GRID Arendal

Lunch Presentations

In the first hour of the lunchtime session, a new report was launched on the role of mining in national economies,
hosted by the ICMM. Another report on the impact of automation on the shared-value paradigm
was also launched and presented by IISD.

During the second hour, presentations were made on “Unlocking ASM’s sustainable development potential through dialogues” and “Community Participation in the SDGs and Mining: Minerals and Energy for Development Alliance.”