Mr. Chairman,
I have the honour to speak on behalf of the European Union and its 27 Member States.
The last days? interesting discussions and intensive negotiations on mining prove how
important it is to have the CSD approving a robust set of recommendations to
Governments on this theme. We do believe that mining can contribute significantly to
the fulfillment of sustainable development and poverty eradication. It is therefore
particularly opportune to have the UN looking deeply into the issue, 20 years after
Agenda 21 has acknowledged the importance of mining for sustainable development.
The EU has set very clear priorities that we believe must be addressed in the political
document to be adopted by CSD-19, if we really want to achieve sustainability in
mining.
Our first priority is to progressively develop and implement Good Governance in the
Mining Sector. A sustainable and well-governed mining sector must effectively collect
and deploy resource rents, as well as safe, healthy, gender & ethnically inclusive,
environmentally friendly, socially responsible and appreciated by surrounding
communities. We would welcome therefore that the UN, working together with
Governments that seek to promote economic, environmental and social development
through investment in the extractive sector, develops guidelines and best practices
covering modern legal and policy environments and mechanisms to promote the
development of administrative capacity building, in order to support the development of
weak national institutions with poor legal, technical and financial abilities. Guidance on
how to foster domestic accountability and promote national appropriate knowledge
bases on mineral resources for strategic thinking and policy innovations, while
respecting the national sovereignty of the countries is also crucial.
CSD?s strong recommendations to Governments to encourage extractive sector
companies and civil society to participate in the Extractive Industries Transparency
Initiative (EITI), certification initiatives and other relevant self -regulation mechanisms
that can contribute to sustainable development and poverty eradication, as well as in
relation to the ratification of relevant international agreements dealing with the
protection of human rights are also a matter of priority. There is also a need to improve
working and living conditions of miners, and to address the issue of children working in
mines with the objective to fully eradicate child labour, while protecting livelihoods.
Good Governance in the mining sector requires also financial, economic and social
benefit maximization for producing countries. Governments have to support Corporate
Social Responsibility undertakings. Tools to improve revenue equitable distribution
among States and local vulnerable communities are also required while managing
conflicting local and national-level concerns and interests. It is crucial to ensure that a
fair share goes to those communities close to and disproportionately affected by a
mining operation.
Environment and Natural Resources Management is also a priority issue that the
EU wants to have addressed in the outcome document. We believe that more efforts
have to be done to increase resource efficiency and reduce waste, notably by increasing
recycling/reuse and improving the design of the products, as well as by sustainable
water management, protect surface and ground water from contamination and minimize
the energy used to produce raw materials and derived products..
The EU considers that it is fundamental to build the eco-systems dimension, integrating
biodiversity conservation goals in national mineral extraction plans and that mine
closure rehabilitation and post-closure is adequately planned in such a way it
restores/enhances biodiversity values affected, as far as possible.
Finally, a broad sustainable framework should be developed or adopted to be applied
worldwide to the initial design of waste rock and tailings storage facilities and its
management, closure and post-closure, in such a way that these facilities present
negligible public health, safety and environmental risks and low social and
environmental impacts during operation and post-closure.
Post Mine Transition Period is of the utmost importance, where we believe
Governments must provide legal and regulatory frameworks for closure, and have the
institutional capacity to monitor and enforce their provisions. Sta keholders must be
consulted in the development of closure objectives and plans and a comprehensive
closure report and adequate financial assurance have to be provided before the requisite
development and permits for a new mine are approved.
On the other hand, it is necessary to focus on the legacies of the past in the form of
abandoned and orphan sites of minerals related activity. A broad sustainable
framework should be developed to be applied worldwide to the remediation of orphan
and abandoned mine sites, in such a way that these sites do not affect public health,
safety and the environment, and correct, as far as possible, social impacts.
Bearing in mind the increasing environmental impact of ?acid rock drainage?, mainly
related to closed mines, the EU believes that this issue deserves particular consideration
and we appreciate CSD?s guidance on it.
The EU?s fourth priority on Mining concerns Informal and formal Artisanal and
Small-scale Mining (ASM), which must operate according to basic environmental
and social standards. Ultimately, policies and development programs are needed to
allow for the professionalization and formalization of these activities. Health and
educational needs of children in ASM environments deserve special attention. The
promotion and support to the formal ASM sector is equally crucial, where policies
and regulations have to be drafted to ensure that formal artisanal and small-scale
miners are regarded and treated as official members of the national mining industry.
Finally, Markets Transparency in the International Mineral Trade is the EU?s
fifth priority that we hope to see included in the final outcome document. In this
context, an improvement of the knowledge of the fundamental changes in the global
markets that are threate ning the principles of competitiveness is important, as well as
the promotion of transparency to avoid measures that distort international trade in raw
materials. Ensuring access to raw materials from international markets under best
possible conditions for all competitors, through enhanced dialogue between producers
and consumers that also takes into account the specific interests of Least Developed
Countries must also be addressed in this context.
