Convened from October 16–20, 2017, the 13th Annual General Meeting (AGM) provided a unique opportunity to engage with government officials from IGF’s member nations and representatives from industry, civil society and academia.
The theme of the AGM was Managing Artisanal and Small-scale Mining (ASM). However, we also covered a wide range of other topics including: tax base erosion and profit shifting; local content policies; mine closure; voluntary sustainability initiatives; and environmental impact assessment.
Government representatives from 22 nations shared real-world experiences and insights during the 2017 AGM’s 19 sessions. Panelists included senior policy-makers—like the Hon. Ernest Gbwaboubou, Cameroon’s Minister of Mines, Industry and Technological Development—technical experts ranging from geologists to environmental officers, and specialists working in areas ranging from mine closure to social services.
We were also pleased to present a diverse slate of panelists from industry, civil society and academia. Mining companies Anglo American, AngloGold Ashanti, GoldCorp and Newmont shared their perspectives. A number of UN agencies were also represented, along with international organizations such as the International Union for Conservation of Nature, the Minamata Convention, OECD and the World Bank. The slate of speakers from civil society included representatives from groups such as Fair Links, Norwegian Church Aid, the Geneva Centre for the Democratic Control of Armed Forces (DCAF) and the Zimbabwe Environmental Law Agency.
The IGF Secretariat would like to thank UNCTAD for hosting our 13th Annual General Meeting.