The Intergovernmental Forum for Mining, Minerals, Metals and Sustainable Development met on October 18-20, 2006, at the Palais des Nations in Geneva.
The Forum deliberated on the follow-up to recommendations made at its 2005 Inaugural Meeting. This included a template on a National Mineral Policy Framework and the criteria affecting investors´ perception of country risks. The Forum also discussed the elements and procedures of Environmental Impact Assessments. Among other matters, members identified the need for a substantial increase in international support for geological mapping and for environmental impact assessment in developing countries as well as for policies that more effectively integrate mining into the economic and social objectives of countries. Following a presentation by the forum´s market outlook committee on market trends, the Forum also stressed the need for greater vigilance in order to react to unjustified barriers to market access for mineral and metals. Members also acknowledged the critical role played by exploration companies in identifying mining opportunities.
The Forum agreed to establish an Investment Outlook Committee to keep members informed on developments that can influence mining investments in their countries. They also established a committee to prepare a way forward to the 2010-11 United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development meetings that will review progress on addressing mining/metal related priorities identified in the Johannesburg Plan of Action. In this context, members agreed that regional mining groups and metals study groups should be encouraged to participate in this committee to better ensure a more effective and comprehensive input to the 2010-11 meetings.
They also agreed that the leading themes for the next meeting will be to examine policies that can optimize the benefits from mining; the aspects of good governance critical to investment decisions; and issues that need resolution as they pertain to community benefits and development. Finally, the Forum agreed that its next meeting, in 2007, will be held in Moscow.
The Forum, which emerged from the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development held in Johannesburg, South Africa, acknowledged support received from UNCTAD and a number of donors including the United Kingdom Department for International Development (DFID), the Canadian International Development Agency and Natural Resources Canada.
With the recent arrival of three new members, namely, Kyrgyzstan, Mexico and Mongolia, the Forum now has 36 members: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Canada, Dominican Republic, Ethiopia, Gabon, Ghana, Kazakhstan, Jamaica, Kenya, Kyrgyz Republic, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mexico, Mongolia, Morocco, Niger, Nigeria, Philippines, Republic of Guinea, Romania, Russian Federation, Senegal, South Africa, Suriname, Swaziland, Uganda, United Kingdom, United Republic of Tanzania, Uruguay and Zambia.
In addition to member countries, participants in the meeting included international agencies (UNCTAD, the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, the United Nations Industrial Development Organization, the United Nations Environment Programme, the United Nations Institute for Training and Research, the International Finance Corporation, the International Labour Office, and the World Bank), and the European Commission.
