Mining
Mining can be critical to achieving the development aspirations of many developing countries and remote regions.
Often, however, the local and national development benefits of mining operations have been limited, and, in some cases, the results have even been negative.
Historically, a focus just on mining company rights and the provision of government tax benefits, while giving limited attention to environmental, social and local economic issues, has limited the sector’s contribution to sustainable development. Working to overcome these concerns, governments, companies and communities increasingly recognize the need for a broader understanding of mining’s potential contribution to local and national development. Transforming this awareness into action requires building the capacity, knowledge and tools required for appropriate reform of government and company policies and processes.
IISD has been deeply involved in the development of a Model Mining Development Agreement (MMDA) with the International Bar Association’s (IBA) Mining Law Committee. IISD was invited to join the core administrative group on this IBA project when it began in 2009. Since then, we have engaged with the global legal and business community to develop an approach based on a simple question: What would a mining contract with a developing country look like if one started from the perspective of sustainable development?
IISD has served as the secretariat to the Intergovernmental Forum on Mining, Minerals, Metals and Sustainable Development (IGF) since 2015. The IGF supports more than 60 nations committed to leveraging mining for sustainable development to ensure that negative impacts are limited and financial benefits are shared. It is devoted to optimizing the benefits of mining to achieve poverty reduction, inclusive growth, social development and environmental stewardship.
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Why We Should Foster Economic Independence for Women in Artisanal and Small-scale Mining
How can the Artisanal and Small-scale Mining sector support female miners and ultimately foster their economic independence?
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How Clean Innovation Is Benefitting the Mining Sector
Did you know mining companies are getting innovative to help benefit their business and the communities in which they operate? Renewable energies - such as solar, wind and geothermal - represent a significant opportunity for clean innovation for the mining sector.
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2017 IGF Annual Report
Read the IGF's 2017 Annual Report, highlighting successes throughout the year and how leveraging mining for sustainable development can limit negative impacts and ensure financial benefits are shared.
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Six Key Factors in Formalizing Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining
Formalizing the artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) sector would bring it into the formal sector through legal, regulatory and policy frameworks. We explore six of the key ways we can formalize ASM to bring about potential benefits to millions.
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Global Trends in Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining (ASM): A review of key numbers and issues
IGF and IIED recently launched this report highlighting how rising mineral prices and the struggle to earn a living from agriculture have led to explosive growth in ASM.
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Four Ways to Empower Women in Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining
Many women work in artisanal and small-scale mining, but with little support. Stacy Corneau explores four ways to empower women in the sector.
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Zambian Villagers Win the Right to Sue a Mining Company in the United Kingdom
In an interesting development, the United Kingdom Court of Appeal recently upheld the decision of a lower court that British courts have jurisdiction to hear a case in which a United Kingdom-based mining company’s activities caused harm abroad (in Zambia). We explore.
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Four Lessons on Communicating ASM from IIED’s Stories of Change Initiative
In this guest column, IIED's Gabriela Flores presents four of the best lessons she has learned in communicating the complex topic of artisanal and small-scale mining.
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Digging Out of Conflict: Can Artisanal Mining Support Peacebuilding?
We sit down with Alec Crawford to talk about the relationship between conflict and the artisanal mining sector, and to see if there are opportunities for it to operate alongside peacebuilding efforts.
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Training Workshop for UEMOA Member State Officials Regarding the Optimization of National Economies Participating in the Mining Sector's Value Chain, Burkina Faso, September 2017
The Intergovernmental Forum on Mining, Minerals, Metals and Sustainable Development (IGF) held a training workshop for government agency...
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