Highlights and images for 10 October 2019

Switzerland

Summary

Highlights for Thursday, 10 October 2019

Alexander Medina, IGF Executive Committee Chair

On the final day of the AGM, Council members met in the morning to elect a new Executive Committee. Delegates participated in future-oriented discussions about the changing nature of work, “green mines,” and changes to resource taxation spurred by the digital economy.Delegates noted the current negotiations within the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Inclusive Framework on Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS), which could affect the tax revenue collected by mining countries. Other topics addressed during the day included the need for reskilling workers in mining communities, and the promise of business opportunities in reprocessing of old mine tailings and restoration of ecosystems damaged by previous mining activities. During lunchtime, Francophone African countries discussed Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining (ASM), and Latin American countries consulted on common challenges and commitments in implementing International Labour Organization (ILO) provisions for prior consultation with indigenous peoples. In closing remarks, Yanchun Zhang, Chief, Commodity Policy Implementation and Outreach Section, UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), expressed appreciation for the discussions, stating that UNCTAD had also benefited from the intellectual exchanges during the AGM, in view of the broad scope of mining impacts on development.Greg Radford, Director, IGF, announced the new Executive Committee. Delegates welcomed incoming Chair Rokhaya Samba Diene, Senegal, and expressed appreciation to outgoing Chair Alexander Medina, Dominican Republic, for his work. Radford urged all to participate in the consultations on the draft guidance document for governments on environmental and social impact assessments (ESIAs), and announced that the Council had voted that the next guidance document to be produced will cover environmental management. Noting that this had also been the largest AGM to date, with more than 500 delegates registered, Radford announced that the 16th AGM will be held 9-13 November 2020. The AGM closed at 5.07 pm. It will be followed by a one-day technical workshop on Friday.

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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Closing Plenary
From L-R: Nathalie Bernasconi, Senior Director, International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD); Greg Radford, Director, IGF Secretariat; Alexander Medina, IGF Executive Committee Chair; and Yanchun Zhang, UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD)
Greg Radford, Director, IGF Secretariat
Yanchun Zhang, UNCTAD
The Future of Work
From L-R: Jörgen Sandström, World Economic Forum (WEF); Casper Edmonds, International Labour Organization (ILO); Aaron Cosbey, IGF Secretariat; Kemal Özkan, IndustriALL; Nicky Black, International Council on Mining and Metals (ICMM); and Zainab Usman, World Bank
Kemal Özkan, IndustriALL, with Nicky Black, ICMM
Casper Edmonds, ILO, with Aaron Cosbey, IGF Secretariat
Jörgen Sandström, WEF
Zainab Usman, World Bank
Green Mine of the Future: Mining and the Restoration Agenda
From L-R: Matthew Bliss, IGF Secretariat; Richard Kofi Adjei, Ghana; Victor Santoni, Pan Asia Fund Management; Estelle Levin-Nally, Founder and CEO, Levin Sources; Steve D'Esposito, President and CEO, RESOLVE; and Olivier Demierre, MKS Switzerland
Estelle Levin-Nally, Founder and CEO, Levin Sources
Victor Santoni, Panasia Fund Management
Steve D'Esposito, President and CEO, RESOLVE, and Olivier Demierre, MKS Switzerland
Breaking Barriers to Mining Revenue Collection
From L-R: Andrew Gunua, Papua New Guinea; Bevon Sinclair, Jamaica; Mary Baine, African Tax Administration Forum; Spyton Phiri, Zambia; and Alexander Medina, Dominican Republic
Mary Baine, African Tax Administration Forum
Spyton Phiri, Zambia
New Tech: The Green Mines of Tomorrow
From L-R: Janice Zinck, Canada; Edwin Ritchken, Ritchken Consulting; Richard Morgan, Anglo American; and Aaron Cosbey, IGF Secretariat
Edwin Ritchken, Ritchken Consulting
Janice Zinck, Canada
Resource Taxation in a Changing World
From L-R: Ann-Maree Wolff, Rio Tinto; Alexandra Readhead, IGF Secretariat; Thomas Lassourd, Natural Resource Governance Institute; Margaret Moonga Chikuba, Zambia; and Norman Wingen, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)
Alexandra Readhead, IGF Secretariat
Norman Wingen, OECD
Around the Venue
Family photo of the new Executive Committee. From L-R: Carmen Hagenaars, Netherlands; Dione Macedo, Brazil; Ayasgalan Molor, Mongolia; Rokhaya Samba Diene, Senegal; Hilary Morgan, Canada; and Vincent Kedi, Uganda
Greg Radford, Director, IGF Secretariat and Tom Butler, CEO, ICMM
Participants conversing after the end of a session
The Guinean delegation
Photo exhibition with display of artifacts used in small-scale mining, part of the Golden Line Programme

Participants