GENERAL FORUM

Users who wish to contribute documents this page should email the material, preferably in MS Word or Adobe PDF to: minerals.forum@unctad.org.

• UNCTAD Mining, Environment and Development papers
• Intergovernmental
• Mining, Minerals and Sustainable Development (MMSD)
• Industry
• Academic / Research
• Non-Governmental Organisations (NGO)

• The Geopolitics of Mineral Resources - R.M. Auty (Adobe PDF 529kB / Word Doc 963kB)

• International Law and Mineral Resources - G.W. Pring (Adobe PDF 261kB / Word Doc 232kB)

• Macroeconomic Policy for Mineral Economies - R.M. Auty (Adobe PDF 529kB / Word Doc 963kB)

• Mineral Policy, Legislation and Regulation - J.M. Otto (Adobe PDF 222kB / Word Doc 176kB)

• Mining and the Natural Environment - L.R. Blinker (UNEP) (Adobe PDF 236kB / Word Doc 212kB)

• Geographic Information Systems for Mineral Resources - S. Luque (Adobe PDF 232kB / Word Doc 230kB)

• The evolution of employment, working time and training in the mining industry: Report for discussion at the Tripartite Meeting on the Evolution of Employment, Working Time and Training in the Mining Industry - International Labour Office, Geneva, October 2002. (Adobe PDF 452KB)

• Workshop on Radioactive Contaminated Metallurgical Scrap
  Documents prepared for the Economic Commission for Europe(ECE) Committee for Trade, Industry and Enterprise Development 
  • Radiation monitoring of raw material and waste at steel plants in Mariupol (summary) - G.N. Deryabin, A.S. Starichenko, A.G. Batishchev and I.V. Butorin(Adobe PDF 22kB / Word Doc 51kB)
  • Monitoring of scrap loads at Gorzia border checkpoints: Thirty months of experience and some suggestions (summary) - M. Fabretto. (Adobe PDF 21kB / Word Doc 30kB)
  • Contamination of steel produced in the CR by Cobalt 60 (summary) - I. Malátová, S. Foltánová and P. Rulík. National Radiation Protection Institute, Czech Republic. (Adobe PDF 19kB / Word Doc 30kB)

• Ad Hoc Group of Experts on Coal and Thermal Power
  Documents prepared for the Economic Commission for Europe (ECE) Committee on Sustainable Energy 
  • Development of clean coal technology in the Czech Republic (Adobe PDF / Word Doc)
  • Experience with social crisis management in coal restructuring in the European Union (Adobe PDF / Word Doc)

• Adverse effects of the illicit movement and dumping of toxic and dangerous products and wastes on the enjoyment of human rights -  
  Fatma-Zohra Ksentini, United Nations Economic Commission for Europe(UNECE) Commission on Human Rights. Report on a mission to Latin America. (Adobe PDF 156kB / Word Doc 266kB)

• UNCTAD Trade and Development Board - Draft substantive agenda item for UNCTAD X (Adobe PDF 19kB / Word Doc 39kB)

• UNEP Sector Reports for the World Summit on Sustainable Development - Johannesburg, South Africa, 2002
  • Aluminium Sector - prepared by the International Aluminium Institute (Adobe PDF 2MB)
    
  • Coal Sector - prepared by the World Coal Institute (Adobe PDF 433 KB)
    
  • Steel Sector - prepared by the International Iron and Steel Institute (Adobe PDF 300KB)

• Integrating Social Concerns into Private Sector Decisionmaking: A Review of Corporate Practices in the Mining, Oil, and Gas Sectors - Aida Davy and Kathryn McPhail - World Bank Discussion Paper No. 384. The paper deals with aspects of corporate social responsibility. First, by exploring the factors supporting the integration of social concerns into the planning and implementation of privately financed projects in the mining, oil, and gas sectors, and second by reviewing corporate social and environmental assessment practices and the integration between the two.

In addition to the main MMSD group based in London, four regional groups have been established to conduct research on specific issues related to their region. Information on these groups and their research output can be found at:

• MMSD Australia
• MMSD North America
• MMSD South America
• MMSD Southern Africa

The MMSD Final Report "Breaking New Ground: Mining, Minerals, and Sustainable Development" released in May 2002 is available, while many of the regional research reports and other papers can be downloaded from the Working Papers page.

NGO Viewpoints on the MMSD project

Many NGO groups have distanced themselves from the MMSD project expressing reservations about the process. Some of their views on the project are provided below.

• Native Reluctance to Join Mining Industry Initiatives - Project Underground - Cultural Survival Quaterly
• Statement to the UN Environment Program Regarding the Mining, Minerals and Sustainable Development Initiative - "Sustainability means less mining, not more." - Project Underground.

International Council on Mining and Metals (ICMM)

• ICMM Newsletters
  • December 2001 (Adobe PDF 128KB)
  • March 2002 (Adobe PDF 146KB)
  • July 2002 (Adobe PDF 126KB)
  • September 2002 (Adobe PDF 95KB) - Focuses on outcomes of WSSD.

• Mining and Energy Research Network (MERN) - CCU/MERN Quarterly Newsletters
  • October 2001

• Mining and sustainable development: Considerations for minerals supply - Dr. Ian B. Lambert, Natural Resources Forum, Vol. 25, Issue 4, November 2001. (Adobe PDF 121KB)

• Economic and Financial Aspects of Mine Closure - James R. Kahna, Dina Franceschib, Adilson Curic, and Eduardo Valed, Natural Resources Forum, Vol. 25, Issue 4, November 2001. (Adobe PDF 68KB)

• Engineering Guidelines for the Passive Remediation of Acidic and/or Metalliferous Mine Drainage and Similar Wastewaters (PDF 2.7MB) - PIRAMID Consortium, September 2003. A Research Project of the European Commission Fifth Framework Programme. The document provides detailed guidelines for the passive in-situ remediation of mine waters and similar wastewaters, including the design, construction and operation of 'passive treatment' systems, and of similar interventions aimed at achieving passive prevention of pollutant release.
  

• Moving Mountains: Communities Confront Mining and Globalisation - Mineral Policy Institute (MPI), Australia, September 2001. The book is available for order from the MPI.

• Extractive Sectors and the Poor - Oxfam America, October 2001. Focuses on the oil and mining sectors. (Adobe PDF)