IIED at the 2017 Intergovernmental Forum on Mining, Minerals, Metals and Sustainable Development annual meeting

Conference

IIED was at the annual meeting of the Intergovernmental Forum on Mining, Minerals, Metals and Sustainable Development (IGF), which took place from 16-20 October in Geneva, Switzerland

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Stakeholders, including IIED's Fitsum Weldegiorgis (right), brainstorm to provide actionable solutions to challenges facing women in ASM during a workshop in Ghana (Photo: Friends of the Nation)

IIED hosted a session on 'Women and artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM)' on Thursday, 19 October.

The session aimed to engage participants on some of the key challenges faced by women in ASM. It focused on identifying practical ways to enable women's progress as mining and linked entrepreneurs, and to lead sustainable livelihoods.

IIED senior researcher Fitsum Weldegiorgis presented recent research on the topic (PDF) commissioned by the IGF, and included presentations from women miners in ASM from Ghana and Tanzania. Weldegiorgis recently helped organise a thematic dialogue in Ghana where issues such as women in ASM were raised.

The event also saw the launch of a new short film profiling ASM stories of change in Ghana, Tanzania and Madagascar, where IIED is working to support multi-stakeholder dialogue, promote local voices and explore innovations that help deliver a more inclusive and accountable mining sector.

  • Read 'Golden practices defy gloom' – while small-scale mining in Ghana is mostly known for its faults, it's time to see what it gets right
  • Read 'Small ventures, big hopes' – though they crave technology and investment, Tanzania's artisanal and small-scale miners are fuelled by determination and the hope to strike it big, and
  • Read 'Sapphire mines that become forests' – how communities in Madagascar are taking action to tackle the environmental impact of mining.

Two of the longreads above, focusing on Ghana and Tanzania, are also available to download as PDFs.

The IGF brings together the governments of 55 countries in which mining, minerals and metals play an important role in the national sustainable development agenda. Get more information about the IGF's annual meeting.