CONFÉRENCE DES NATIONS UNIES SUR
LE COMMERCE ET LE DÉVELOPPEMENT
UNITED NATIONS CONFERENCE
ON TRADE AND DEVELOPMENT
Intergovernmental Forum on Mining, Minerals, Metals and Sustainable Development
Geneva, 18-20 October 2006
BACKGROUND NOTE
The Forum is the institutional framework for the Global Dialogue on Mining/Metals and
Sustainable Development which was one of a number of Partnership Initiatives launched at the
World Summit on Sustainable Development (Johannesburg, South Africa, 2002). Co-sponsored by
South Africa and Canada, the Global Dialogue was designed to fulfil the priorities for the mining,
minerals and metals sector as identified in Paragraph 46 of the World Summit Plan of
Implementation.
Fifty-three countries participated in the Global Dialogue. Together, they decided that the objectives
of the Global Dialogue would be best achieved through the establishment of an Intergovernmental
Forum for the mining, minerals and metals sector. The donors and organizations which have
supported the Global Dialogue Process include UNCTAD, UNDESA, the United Kingdom's
Department of International Development, and Canada's Department of Foreign Affairs and
International Trade.
Two preparatory meetings of the Global Dialogue were held in Geneva in 2003 and 2004, with
assistance from UNCTAD, to negotiate and prepare the launch of the proposed Forum. The
inaugural meeting of the Forum was held in Geneva in November 2005, when a number of follow
up activities were agreed on. Of particular significance was a decision to begin preparations for the
deliberations related to mining at the session of the United Nations Commission on Sustainable
Development to be held in 2010-2011. Gary Nash, Deputy Assistant Minister of Natural Resources
Canada was elected Forum Chair. Canada will act as the Forum Secretariat for the initial five-year
period, after which an assessment of whether or not the Forum should continue its activities will be
made.
The thirty-three members of the Forum are: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Burundi,
Canada, Dominican Republic, Ethiopia, Gabon, Ghana, Kazakhstan, Jamaica, Kenya, Madagascar,
Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Niger, Nigeria, Philippines, Republic of Guinea, Romania,
Russian Federation, Senegal, South Africa, Suriname, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda, United
Kingdom, Uruguay and Zambia.
For details see http://www.globaldialogue.info.
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Prepared by Commodities Branch, DITC, 14.09.06