Prizma

The IFC Performance Standards on Social & Environmental Sustainability have emerged as the de facto benchmark for developing and financing responsible extractive projects in emerging markets. The Canadian government’s March 2009 CSR Strategy for the Canadian International Extractive Sector, Building the Canadian Advantage, also includes the IFC Performance Standards. In this article, I review the genesis, significance and key challenges associated with the IFC Performance Standards, using also input from participants of over 20 workshops and training courses delivered in Canada, China, Panama, Peru, UK and Venezuela since 2006. (more…)

The report of the European Bank’s (EBRD) November 2009 workshop on Environmental and Social Responsibility in Mining in London is now available. The event helped inform EBRD’s preparation of its planned Mining Strategy (expected in 2010) and touched also on Artisanal and Small Scale Mining (ASM).  (more…)