MINERAL WEALTH AND HUMAN CAPITAL:
AN INTERNATIONAL WORKSHOP ON SUSTAINABLE
RESOURCE-BASED DEVELOPMENT
MONTERREY, MEXICO
27-30 MARCH 2001

Organized by
the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD)
(http://www.unctad.org)

in association with
the Business Council for Sustainable Development of Latin America (BCSDLA) (http://www.bcsdla.org)

and
the Monterrey Institute of Technology (ITESM) (http://www.itesm.mx)

Introduction | Programme | Documents




INTRODUCTION
(Spanish)

download the Summary Report word (64 kb) |  pdf (40 kb)

Background

Relatively few countries have successfully used their tradeable natural resources (timber, oil and gas, and minerals) to achieve diversified growth and sustainable development. Work undertaken recently at the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD)[1] and the United Nations University World Institute for Development Economics Research (UNU/WIDER)[2] has shown that the development path for "resource-rich" countries can be equally difficult and possibly more complex, as compared with "resource-poor" countries. The situation is particularly complex - and urgent - for countries dependent on the exploitation of non-renewable resources such as minerals.

At the international level, this issue is being addressed, inter alia, under Project M of the U.N. Development Account. This project aims to assist policy makers in the public and private sectors of mineral-dependent developing countries, particularly in Africa and Latin America, to articulate holistic strategies that integrate the economic, environmental and social dimensions of sustainable development. The project also aims to help implement such strategies through capacity building and policy networking activities that make optimal use of modern information and communications technologies.

Participants in the Monterrey workshop will contribute to Project M by helping to identify innovative approaches to resource-based development that integrate the different dimensions and actors of sustainable development, with particular regard to mineral sector activities in the Latin America and Caribbean region. Participants will also help to identify institutional and other requirements for implementation at the national and local levels including the appropriate use of information technology and networking.

Organization and participation

The workshop is organized by UNCTAD in association with the Business Council for Sustainable Development of Latin America (BCSDLA) and the Monterrey Institute of Technology (ITESM).

Participation in the workshop will be by invitation and will include public- and private-sector experts largely drawn from mineral-producing countries in the Latin America and Caribbean region, as well as international experts from inter-governmental and non-governmental institutions. In order to ensure a maximum of interaction, the number of participants will be limited to around 40 in total. Information and documentation for the workshop will be made available on the Internet (World Wide Web) and this medium will also be used to encourage interaction with a wider audience following the workshop.

The workshop will take place at the Monterrey Institute of Technology from Tuesday, 27 March through Friday, 30 March 2001. Participants are expected to arrive in Monterrey by Monday, 26 March. Hotel accommodation in Monterrey has been reserved for workshop participants at special rates. BCSDLA will inform participants about arrangements for hotel accommodation, workshop registration, the meeting venue, etc., when participants confirm their attendance to UNCTAD.

The main workshop sessions will be held in English and Spanish, with simultaneous interpretation, and discussion groups will be organized separately in English and Spanish. Documentation will be available in English or Spanish with summaries normally available in both languages.

Expected benefits and follow up

The workshop is expected to provide participants with the following benefits, especially in relation to mineral resources:

(1)  a better understanding of the different dimensions and actors of sustainable development;

(2)  concrete ideas for an integrated approach to policy design and related capacity-building activities;

(3)  an improved knowledge of modern information and communications technologies; and

(4)  opportunities for productive networking within and beyond the workshop.

Beyond the workshop, participants will be enabled to promote networking and capacity-building projects in their own geographical regions and domains of work, and will be encouraged to continue to collaborate in order to achieve sustainable resource-based development.

[1] Mayer, J., B. Chambers and A. Farooq (Eds) (1999) Development Policies in Natural Resource Economies, Cheltenham, UK, and Northhampton, MA, USA: Edward Elgar in association with UNCTAD.

[2] Auty, R.M. (1998) Resource Abundance and Economic Development: Improving the Performance of Resource-Rich Countries, Helsinki: UNU/WIDER.

Introduction | Programme | Documents

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