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Our History
How did the IGF emerge as the global forum for more than 80 member countries advancing good mining governance for sustainable development?
The IGF originated at the United Nations (UN) 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg, South Africa.
At the summit, UN members with an interest in mining collaborated on paragraph 46 of the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation, emphasizing priorities related to mining’s importance for social and economic development, the value of minerals for modern living, and the need to enhance contributions from the sector.
Acknowledging the lack of a suitable global forum to advance these priorities, Canada and South Africa spearheaded a UN Type II partnership to fill the void.
This partnership was formalized in 2005 when the IGF launched with 25 founding member countries and the Government of Canada serving as the founding host. That same year, the IGF would hold its first Annual General Meeting, hosted by UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD) at the UN Palais des Nations in Geneva.
By 2015, the IGF’s membership had nearly doubled to 47 nations. In the same year Canada decided to move the Secretariat’s administration outside of its government to better meet the needs of the growing IGF membership and the newly adopted Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Canada provided core funding to the International Institute for Sustainable Development to take over the Secretariat’s administration starting in October 2015.
In 2021, the Government of the Netherlands joined Canada as a core funder of the IGF.
Membership growth has continued throughout, with more than 80 nations now sitting as IGF members, including most of the world’s major mining jurisdictions.
