Angola and Brazil to Host Mining Conference
By Henry Neondo
The Planet Earth Institute (PEI), the permanent legacy of the ‘UN International Year of Planet Earth’, has announced a major conference that will focus on sustainable and responsible mining in the developing nations, to be held in October 2011.
The October conference follows on from the first successful Sustainable Mining Africa Round Table (SMART) held in Luanda , in November last year.
The conference, entitled ‘Mining and Corporate Social Responsibility’, will be held São Paulo , in partnership with Latin American and African Governments, United Nations institutions and corporate partners.
The SMART series recognises the prominence – and huge economic value – of exploration and mineral extraction in developing nations, and the increasing need for open and constructive dialogue.
The Planet Earth Institute, using their networks in Brazil and Angola , are convening this conference by working with the Brazilian Ministry of Mines and Energy and the Angolan Ministry of Geology, Mines and Industry. The conference will be divided into three ‘open conversation’ workshops, focusing on the public sector, the private sector and a wider session for all interested parties, including leading figures from academia.
A number of the Planet Earth Institute’s existing corporate partners, including the Mining Association of Canada (MAC) and the Brazilian Mining Association IBRAM (Instituto Brasileiro de Mineração) will attend to provide a strong industry voices and help promote constructive, workable solutions.
The collected recommendations will be formally submitted to the Rio+20 United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, to be held in June 2012, in Rio de Janeiro , Brazil.
“The SMART series is about bringing all those involved – Governments, corporations and international institutions – together in one place to determine the way forward for sustainable mining”, said Ms Leonor Sa Machado, CEO of the Planet Earth Institute.
She said mining and earth resource exploration represents a huge economic opportunity for developing nations, but we must make sure the emphasis always remains on sustainable, long-term development and growth.
Machado added that her country intends to further the ‘Global-South’ collaboration.