EMG Nexus Dialogue on
Mineral Resource Governance


There has been a multiplicative of resource consumption – particularly in non-metal minerals like sand and gravel. The recycling rates are 1% for some precious metals which are used in innovative technologies (e.g. solar cells).[1] Over the next decade, to accommodate demand, there is a need to improve the sustainability and responsibility of the extractive sector.

Resolution UNEP/EA.4/Res.19 requests the United Nations Environment Programme (“UNEP”) to, inter alia, collect information on sustainable practices, identify knowledge gaps and options for implementation strategies, and undertake an overview of existing assessments of different governance initiatives and approaches on sustainable management of metal and mineral resources, and report to the fifth session of the UNEA (February 2021). With this resolution, the UN Environment Assembly encourages the UN system, governments and other stakeholders to promote awareness about mineral resource governance and calls for due diligence along the supply chain, including the continuous increase of transparency. This is a call to action which is supported by the United Nations Environment Management Group (“EMG”).

In pursuance of the UNEA-4 resolution, UNEP initiated a process to engage governments, national, regional and global stakeholders through virtual consultations from July through October 2020. The consultations contributed to the implementation of the resolution and to consideration of future action on the topic. The consultations also assisted to create ownership of the outcomes of the process among all Member States. Additional information is available online.

The consultations sourced expert feedback on sustainable practices, knowledge gaps and options for implementation strategies in the mineral resource sector, and provided an opportunity to review existing assessments of different governance initiatives and approaches on sustainable management of mineral resources. The outcomes of the consultations will be presented and discussed during the EMG Nexus Dialogue on Mineral Resource Governance, held in collaboration with UNEP and with support from the Federal Office for the Environment (“FOEN”) from the Swiss Confederation. The Nexus Dialogue will support an outcome document which pursues the strategic implementation of the UNEA-4 resolution and will be presented to UNEA-5.

The main objectives of this Dialogue are to:

  • Present Key Policy Messages and Best Practices: Presenting trends and findings from the recent expert reports on mineral resource governance on current governance frameworks of key issues;
  • Share Outcomes and Recommendations: Share the outcomes and recommendations from the regional consultations to support the strategic implementation of the UNEA-4 resolution by UNEP, and;
  • Discuss and Assess Capacity Gaps: Discuss gaps on good governance across key mineral value chains (i.e. extraction and processing) and explore opportunities and next steps within the UN system and intergovernmental processes to address them.

Final Concept Note and Agenda

Full Video Recording of the Nexus Dialogue

Outcome Document

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Moderator

Professor Daniel Franks, Sustainable Minerals Institute, University of Queensland

Key Speakers

  • Ms. Martine Rohn-Brossard, Head of Section/Deputy Head of Division, FOEN, Switzerland
  • Mr. Satya S Tripathi, Assistant Secretary General and Secretary, EMG
  • Ms. Ligia Noronha, Director of the Economy Division of UNEP
  • Mr. Lamine Diouf, Directeur du Contrôle et de la Surveillance des Opérations
    Minières, Republic of Senegal
  • Ms. Carmen Hagenaars, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Netherlands
  • Professor Daniel Franks, Sustainable Minerals Institute, University of Queensland
  • Mr. Hossein Fadaei, Head of Office-Geneva, EMG Secretariat

Roundtable Participants

  • Ms. Ligia Noronha, Director of the Economy Division of UNEP
  • Mr. Tim Scott, Senior Policy Adviser, UNDP
  • Mr. Antonio Pedro, Director: Subregional Office, Central Africa, UN Economic Commission for Africa
  • Ms. Franziska Hirsch, Secretary, Convention on the Transboundary Effects of Industrial Accidents, Environment Division, United Nations Economic Commission for Europe
  • Mr. Harikrishnan Tulsidas, Economic Affairs Officer, UNECE
  • Ms. Camila Pereira Rego Meireles, Technical officer: mining, extractives, energy & manufacturing, ILO
  • Mr. Louis Marechal, Policy Advisor, Responsible, Business Conduct Unit, OECD
  • Ms. Ludivine Wouters, Director, International Women in Mining
  • Ms. Isabelle Ramdoo, Deputy Director, IGF
  • Mr. Greg Radford, Director, IGF
  • Ms. Özlem Adiyaman, Programme Specialist, UNESCO
  • Ms. Natascha Nunes Da Cunha, Senior Specialist of Extractives, Inter-American Development Bank
  • Ms. Valeria Torres Larranaga, Economic Affairs Officer, ECLAC
  • Ms. Katherine Ortiz, Regional Specialist, Child Rights and Business, UNICEF
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