Today, the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, the Chamber of Mines of South Africa, Mining Indaba, the International Council on Mining and Metals (ICMM) and South Africa’s Department of Mineral Resources stood together to engage with the Alternative Mining Indaba (AMI). Collectively, the industry bodies represented say they “are pleased to have had the opportunity to engage with the AMI and to include their views in the discussions taking place at the world’s biggest mining conference. “

“We are pleased to be engaging with the AMI and the communities it represents. To enable true engagement in the mining industry and to work towards a sustainable future, Mining Indaba believes in bringing together all stakeholders,” said Mining Indaba MD, Alex Grose.

The Mining Indaba, under the guidance of its Advisory Board, has over the past two years spent a lot of time and effort to truly engage with all the mining community. “Our goal is to deliver a world-class event, but also to create a platform for ongoing engagement between different groups,” said Grose.

Following the acceptance of the memorandum from the AMI last year, there has been extensive engagement with the organisation. As a result, Mining Indaba has made a number of changes to its agenda. These include sustainability-focused content included for the full duration of the event, with the Sustainability Day given more prominence. Community voices have been incorporated throughout the program. In addition, a group of AMI delegates attended the Sustainability Day yesterday.

Grose reiterates the true purpose of the event: “Mining Indaba is a platform for engagement. We value the views of all stakeholders in the industry and will continue to work with all parties to help facilitate dialogue between communities, mining companies, governments, investors and others”.