When: Friday 3 June 17:15 to 18:30 (CEST time zone / UTC+2)
Watch the recording of the event below:
Organizers: UNEP, Sweden (Sida), Principles for Responsible Investment (Church of England Pensions Board)
Relevance of responsible and sustainable mining sector
Mineral resource extraction plays a dominant role in the economies of 81 countries that account for a quarter of global GDP, half of the world’s population and nearly 70 per cent of those living in extreme poverty. A responsible mining sector is crucial for the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Agreement. An example of a successful collaboration among different stakeholders is the co-convening of the Global Industry Standard on Tailings Management (GISTM) in 2020, by UNEP, the mining industry (ICMM) and investors (Principles for Responsible Investment).
Environmental due diligence in the mining sector needs to be strengthened
This includes biodiversity loss, impacts on ecosystems, pollution and GHG emissions for example. Developing global principles and industry standards which rely on external assurance and third-party verification is a powerful tool to enhance mining practices, mitigate negative impacts and enhance sustainable development outcomes.
Summary of this event
The event focuses on solutions for the environmental and social challenges in the mining sector and how to build back better from the Covid-19 pandemic. It will discuss how all stakeholders are key in raising the level of ambition of the mining sector to achieve sustainable outcomes while leveraging increasing automation and digitization. This event will constitute the first roundtable discussion on key elements that are necessary for a vision on sustainable and responsible mining. Outcomes of the discussion will feed into UNEP’s publication on Guiding Principles for a Responsible and Sustainable Minerals and Metals Sector as well as the Investors Mining 2030 vision. The event will also announce recent developments in relation to the process to establish the Global Tailings Management Institute.
Panelists:
- Katrin Schneeberger, State Secretary, Swiss Federal Office for the Environment
- Mr. Ofentse Ditsele, Deputy Director, Department of Mines, Ministry of Minerals, Energy and Water Resources, Botswana.
- Victoria Tauli-Corpuz, Executive Director and Founder of Tebtebba Foundation, former UN Special Rapporteur on Indigenous Peoples Rights
- Aidan Davy, Chief Operating Officer, ICMM
- Maria Sunér, CEO of Svemin
Moderator: Adam Matthews, Chief Responsible Investment Officer, Church of England Pensions Board
