The Intergovernmental Forum on Mining, Minerals, Metals and Sustainable Development (IGF) and the Netherlands Commission for Environmental Assessment (NCEA) have agreed to share information and collaborate to provide technical assistance in environmental and social governance in the mining sectors of IGF member countries.
“We are delighted to work hand-in-hand with the NCEA to strengthen and improve the capacity of our members on environmental and social impact assessment (ESIA), and we look forward to joint activities of mutual interest,” said Clémence Naré, Senior Law Advisor, IGF.
Under the terms of a signed Memorandum of Understanding, the partners will collaborate in the following areas over the next 3 years:
- The development of joint projects on improved strategic decision-making in relation to mining through strategic environmental assessment (SEA), including knowledge products.
- Environment management, including biodiversity management, in the mining sector, specifically identifying and sharing good practices to integrate into ESIA.
- ESIA follow-up, specifically on compliance and the enforcement of environmental and social management plans (ESMPs), but also the adaptive management of environmental and social issues during implementation and decommissioning.
- The implementation of the IGF’s Mining ESIA Tool (MET) in NCEA target countries, including joint initiatives whenever possible.
- The promotion of women in mining, specifically through the inclusion of gender equality and women’s empowerment in ESIA and follow-up. Ensuring that the impacts of mining from exploration to post-closure are addressed and managed.
The IGF and NCEA recently collaborated on a 4-day training workshop for government officials in Mali covering diagnosing legal and policy gaps, best practices, and case studies related to ESIAs and project closure in the mining sector.
At a March 2023 IGF-NCEA training event in Mali, from left: Laurie Borrelli dos Reis, Technical Secretary International Development, NCEA; Carlos Ortega, Environmental Advisor, IGF; Clémence Naré, Senior Law Advisor, IGF; Issa Coulibaly, Technical Advisor, Ministry of Mines, Energy, and Water, Government of Mali; Grégoire Bellois, Senior Policy Advisor, IGF; Edy Blom, International Secretary, NCEA.
About the Intergovernmental Forum on Mining, Minerals, Metals and Sustainable Development (IGF)
The IGF supports more than 80 member countries in advancing their sustainable development goals through effective laws, policies, and regulations for the mining sector. We help governments take action to develop inclusive and gender-equitable practices, optimize financial benefits, support livelihoods, and safeguard the environment. The International Institute for Sustainable Development has hosted the IGF Secretariat since October 2015. Core funding is provided by the governments of Canada and the Netherlands.
About the Netherlands Commission for Environmental Assessment
The NCEA supports environment and sectoral ministries, environmental assessment professionals and non-governmental organizations to improve their environmental and social assessment practice. The NCEA advises on the quality of the process and content of these assessments, both at the project level (environmental and social impact assessment or ESIA) and the strategic level (strategic environmental assessment or SEA).