Chief task is preparation for 2010-2011 sessions of Commission on Sustainable Development on priorities for mining
The Intergovernmental Forum on Mining, Minerals, Metals and Sustainable Development will hold its annual general meeting from 18-20 October at the Palais des Nations in Geneva.
The independent group, for which UNCTAD will provide the conference servicing, has 36 States members and was established in 2005 with the principal task of preparing for the deliberations of the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development to be held in 2010-2011 and dedicated to reviewing the 2002 World Summit priorities for mining. The second day of the meeting will be given over to three discussions or rotating workshops on the topics of a "template on mineral policy framework," a framework on "investors´ perception of country risks," and "environment impact assessment: elements and process." On the third day of the conference, a plenary will consider the outcomes of the workshops.
Other planned activities include first-day presentations by the Chair (Canada), UNCTAD (Commodities Branch), the World Bank, the International Finance Corporation, the Forum´s Market Outlook Committee, the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative, the Department for International Development of the United Kingdom (on the subject of "communities and small-scale mining"), and the International Council on Mining and Metals (ICMM).
The draft timetable of the meeting is available at www.unctad.org.
The Intergovernmental Forum was created after three preparatory meetings in Geneva in 2003, 2004 and 2005, with the assistance of UNCTAD.
The 36 members are Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Canada, Dominican Republic, Ethiopia, Gabon, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Jamaica, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mexico, Mongolia, Morocco, Niger, Nigeria, Philippines, Republic of Guinea, Romania, Russian Federation, Senegal, South Africa, Surname, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda, United Kingdom, and Zambia.
Canada was chosen as Forum Secretariat for the initial five-year existence of the Forum, after which an assessment will be made of whether it should continue its activities.
