1. Thank you Mr. Chairman.
2. My delegation would like to associate ourselves with the statement made by the
Republic of Indonesia on behalf of G77 and China yesterday.
3. Mining is important to our national development, especially in term of economic
growth. Mining in Thailand can be traced back for centuries. Over these years,
we have had some lessons learned and used them to adjust our practice and
decision and policy making processes. We have placed great concern on
environmental and geo-resource sustainability and promoted the participation of
people and local community to ensure that mining will not or will least affect their
ways of life.
4. Mr Chair, In this context, Thailand is pleased to share with the meeting our
actions related to sustainable development as follows:
1) The Royal Thai Government has issued the National Strategy on Mineral
Resource Management aiming at managing the use of mineral resources,
conservation and rehabilitation of natural resources and environment in a
balancing manner. The National Strategy comprises
1. survey, research and development of mineral resources;
2. mineral types prioritization, for instance, rare-earth metals that are
important to the promotion of Clean Technology;
3. value creation;
4. promotion of the investment on mineral resources and
5. promotion of Green and Clean Mining.
The latest National Policy and Guidelines on Mineral Resources
Management for 2011-2021 has also been drafted out in accordance with the National
Strategy already mentioned.
Mr. Chairman,
2) The Royal Thai Government has integrated public participation in decisionmaking
process of mining project development. In addition, the Government
has also empowered the local authority in this area, thus, an approval on
mining application by local government is compulsory before a mining license
can be issued. The Government has promoted Good Governance in mining
sector and ensured transparency and the involvement of all stakeholders in
developing a mining project. The Government has also promoted
transparency in revenue flows by allocated up to 60 percent of the royalty
collected from mining activity to the local and provincial governments of the
mined areas to ensure that these revenues will serve the interests of people
in the community most.
3) The Government allows artisanal mining and has issued a guidelines under
the Mineral Act of Thailand. In this regards, the government encourage
artisanal miners to form a legalized group, for example in term of cooperative.
In addition, the Government has also supported capacity building activities for
local miners.
4) In term of environmental sustainability, the Thai Government has launched
the ?Green Mining Policy? since February 2009. The Policy aims to encourage
mining entrepreneurs to go ?Green? on mining. In doing so, mining
entrepreneurs have to take environmental community and social responsibility
into account and operate their mining with a sustainable management
system. In addition, the entrepreneurs have to place great concern on health
and safety as well as ensure green and clean areas. Their projects must be
transparent and apply the principles of 3Rs (Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle) in
the use of mineral resources.
And finally Mr. Chair,
5) Mineral Resources and its related mining activity are part of the geodiversity
that can be sustainably utilized through the concept of geotourism. The
outlook of geotourism over the past decade is growing drastically. It provides
an important tool for the sustainable management of the geoconservation
sites or geosites and the UNESCO?s Geopark initiative. Thailand is of the
view that the promotion of geotourism activity can be an alternative for local
community in managing with mine sites, both active and abandoned, in a
sustainable manner. In this regard, Thailand would like to stress that the
development cooperation to enhance capacity for developing countries is
necessary for the success of geotourism/geopark programme.
I thank you, Mr. Chairman.
