European Union

On Wednesday, the thirteenth meeting of the Persistent Organic Pollutants Review Committee (POPRC-13) met in a brief plenary session in the morning, and then convened in contact groups throughout the day. In the morning, the plenary heard reports from the two contact groups considering draft risk management evaluations for dicofol, and for pentadecafluorooctanoic acid (PFOA). In their reports, dicofol contact group Chair Marcus Richards (Saint Vincent and the Grenadines), and PFOA contact group Chair Rameshwar Adhikari (Nepal), noted that progress had been made in the first round of discussions, and requested more time to consider the issues before them. The Committee also heard, and took note of, a report on the activities for effective participation. POPRC-13 Chair Maria Delvin, Sweden, then adjourned the meeting to allow for the contact groups on dicofol and PFOA to reconvene. The group discussing PFOA also met in the evening. In the afternoon, Committee members met in a contact group to further consider a proposal for the inclusion of perfluorohexane sulfonic acid (PFHxS), its salts and PFHxS-related compounds in Annexes A, B and/or C to the Stockholm Convention. This group was chaired by Jack Holland (Australia). At lunchtime, delegates attended a side event presented by Finland on the Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme, and considered chemicals of emerging Arctic concern. IISD Reporting Services, through its Earth Negotiations Bulletin (ENB) Meeting Coverage, provided daily web highlights from POPRC-13. In addition IISD Reporting Services has produced a summary and analysis report which is available in HTML and PDF. Dais during the morning contact group on dicofol (L-R) Abiola Olanipekun, Secretariat; Marcus Richards, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and Contact Group Chair; Gamini Manuweera, Secretariat; and Robert Whiting, consultant on behalf of the EU PFHxS contact group chair Jack Holland, Australia Kei Ohno Woodall, BRS Secretariat PFOA contact group Chair Rameshwar Adhikari, Nepal The morning contact group on PFOA

The Intergovernmental Forum on Mining, Minerals, Metals and Sustainable Development (IGF) entered the second day of its AGM on Wednesday at UN Headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland. Delegates continued their discussions of various challenges and solutions related to artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) and large-scale mining (LSM). Participants discussed possibilities for collaboration between LSM and ASM, for example, through technology transfer, training, trust-building initiatives and working together with all stakeholders to develop a common vision for mining. They also discussed approaches to environmental impact assessment (EIA), mine closure and post-mining transitions, and noted the importance of planning ahead to ensure that the assets and infrastructure left with communities after mine closure will continue to benefit them. Daniel Franks, UN Development Programme (UNDP), presented to delegates on the value of ‘development minerals,’ which include less-valued materials such as gypsum, sand and gravel, highlighting that their total value of production far exceeds that of precious metals and gemstones. He emphasized the potential of mining these minerals have in contributing to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), by creating employment and bringing needed infrastructure to developing countries. Participants discussed how to address the issue of illicit financial flows from gold mining, and heard case studies from Mali, Mauritania and Mongolia on governments’ responses to gold rush situations. They also heard about strategies for environmental management and EIA in mining areas in Ghana and Guyana. At lunchtime, UN Environment launched a report, titled ‘Mine Tailings Storage: Safety is No Accident’, and the G7 CONNEX Support Unit presented on strengthening assistance for complex contract negotiations in the extractives sector. IISD Reporting Services, through its ENB+ Meeting Coverage, has provided daily web coverage, daily reports, and a summary report from AGM 2017. The summary report is now available in HTML and PDF. Photos by IISD/ENB+ | Sean Wu For photo reprint permissions, please follow instructions at our Attribution Regulations for Meeting Photo Usage Page. Session 7: LSM and ASM: Challenges and New Industry Approaches (L-R) Greg Radford, Director, IGF Secretariat; Nick Cotts, Group Executive, Sustainability and External Relations, Newmont Mining; Estelle Levin-Nally, Director, Levin Sources; Glenn Gemerts, Policy Advisor, Ministry of Natural Resources, Suriname; and David Noko, Executive Vice President, Sustainable Development, AngloGold Ashanti Nick Cotts, Group Executive, Sustainability and External Relations, Newmont Mining David Noko, Executive Vice President, Sustainable Development, AngloGold Ashanti Delegates taking photos of the panelists Video team films proceedings throughout the day Session 8: Development Minerals and SDGs Raijeli Taga, Director, Mineral Resources Department, Fiji Daniel Franks, Programme Manager and Chief Technical Advisor, African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP)-EU Development Minerals Programme, UNDP (L-R) Greg Radford, Director, IGF Secretariat; Daniel Franks, UNDP; Ernest Gbwaboubou, Minister of Mines, Industry and Technological Development, Cameroon; Raijeli Taga, Director, Mineral Resources Department, Fiji; Jennifer Hinton, Director, Auranda Minerals and Adjunct Professor, Carleton University; Antonio Pedro, United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA); Harivao Fenosoa Razanakolona Rajaonarisoa, Head of Department of Administration and Control of Operations, Interregional Directorate of the Ministry to the Presidency in charge of Mines and Petroleum, Madagascar; and Maximin Emagna, ACP Group of States Session 9: Government, Community and Industry Engagement to Develop a Common Vision for Mining (L-R) Greg Radford, Director, IGF Secretariat; Tom Butler, CEO, International Council on Mining and Metals (ICMM); Kojo Busia, African Minerals Development Centre; Moreblessings Chidaushe, Norwegian Church Aid, South Africa; Mutuso Dhliwayo, Executive Director of Zimbabwe Environmental Law Association; Gofaone Molefhe, Ministry of Mineral Resources, Green Technology and Energy Security, Botswana; and Malvern Mudiwa, Marange Development Trust Tom Butler, CEO, ICMM Kojo Busia, African Minerals Development Centre Session 10: Mine Closure and Post-mining Transition Lassana Guindo, National Mine Closure Commission, Mali Roger Gunson, Mineral Resources Authority, Papua New Guinea (L-R) Matthew Bliss, Deputy Director, IGF Secretariat; Roger Gunson, Mineral Resources Authority, Papua New Guinea; Hilary Morgan, Director of International Affairs and Trade Directorate of the Lands and Minerals Sector, Natural Resources Canada; Mark Freberg, Director, Permitting and Closure, Teck Resources; and Lassana Guindo, National Mine Closure Commission, Mali Session 11: ASM Case Studies (L-R) Alec Crawford, IGF Secretariat; Holger Grundel, Senior Manager, Levin Sources; Seydou Keita, Ministry of the Environment, Sanitation and Sustainable Development, Mali; Rokhaya Samba, Ministry of Industry and Mines, Senegal; and John Tychsen, Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland (GEUS); and Ahmed Taleb Mohamed, Technical Advisor to the Minister of Mining, Mauritania Rokhaya Samba, Director, Department of the Exploration and Promotion of Mining, Ministry of Industry and Mines, Senegal; and John Tychsen, Director, GEUS Seydou Keita, Ministry of the Environment, Sanitation and Sustainable Development, Mali Session 12: EIA for ASM–LSM (L-R) Matthew Bliss, Deputy Director, IGF Secretariat; Rob Stevens, Director, Partnerships and Learning, Canadian International Resources and Development Institute (CIRDI); Justine Shirley Seyire Dzadzra, Principal Programme Officer, Mining Department, Environmental Protection Agency, Ghana; Godfrey Scott, Senior Environmental Officer, Guyana Geology Mines Commission Side Event: UN Environment Report Launch: Mine Tailings Storage: Safety Is No AccidentPresented by Kristina Thygesen, Programme Leader, Ocean Governance and Geological Resources, GRID-Arendal Side Event: G7 CONNEX Support Unit: Assistance in Negotiating Investment Contracts in the Extractives.Presented by Juliane Weymann and Torge Hamkens, CONNEX advisors. Around the Venue

On Wednesday, CFS 44 participants discussed policy convergence emerging from the HLPE report on Sustainable Forestry for Food Security and Nutrition, and the outcomes of the Forum on Women’s Empowerment in the Context of Food Security and Nutrition held during the intersessional period. Members endorsed CFS’s Multi-year Programme of Work for 2018-2019, the first periodic update of the Global Strategic Framework for Food Security and Nutrition, and a decision on monitoring the effectiveness of CFS. In the morning, Akram Chehayeb, Chair of the FAO Committee on Forests (COFO) and Francois Pythoud, Rapporteur of the CFS policy convergence process on forestry, presented draft recommendations on sustainable forestry for food and nutrition, including on: cross-sectoral policy coordination; capacity building; and stakeholder involvement to integrate food security, nutrition and agriculture in forestry objectives. Members welcomed the recommendations and discussed national experiences in promoting food security and nutrition together with forest protection. The US, the EU, CSM and others lamented the lack of time to develop policy convergence, with Civil Society Mechanism (CSM) also expressing concern regarding the low level of participation and insufficient inclusivity. After some discussion, Members agreed to consider a meeting with the Rome-based Agencies (RBAs) to discuss the relation between commercial plantations and food security and nutrition, recognizing that this issue was not sufficiently discussed during the policy convergence process. In the afternoon, keynote speaker, Helen Hakena, Leitana Nehan, Women’s Development Agency, Papua New Guinea, addressed the importance of women owning or governing land, the strain of climate change on women’s ability to make a living on agriculture, and the need for collective power among women for long-term sustainable solutions. She underlined that food security requires nutritional empowerment of women. IISD Reporting Services, through its ENB+ Meeting Coverage, has provided daily web updates from CFS 44. In addition, IISD Reporting Services has published a summary report of CFS 44 which is available in HTML and PDF. Sustainable Forestry for Food and Nutrition Terence Sunderland, HLPE Team Leader ©FAO Akram Chehayeb, Chair, FAO Committee on Forestry (COFO) ©FAO François Pythoud, Rapporteur of the CFS policy convergence process on forestry ©FAO Khaled El Taweel, Chair, Open-ended Working Group on Nutrition ©FAO Delegate from the US ©FAO Delegate from Thailand ©FAO Side Event: Launch of the book ‘Mainstreaming Agrobiodiversity in Sustainable Food Systems: Scientific foundations for an Agrobiodiversity Index’ ©FAO ©FAO ©FAO Around the Venue FAO Director-General José Graziano da Silva meeting with Gerda Verburg, Coordinator of the Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) Movement ©FAO ©FAO ©FAO