CONTINUED WORK IN THE MINE WATER AND MINE WASTE MANAGEMENT PROGRAMME (ITP 308) DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

During the second half of 2020 the team started getting its hopes up for a global recovery, but the current set-back is again hindering the programme from going ahead with its plans. The concluding regional meetings for groups two and three, originally planned for March and August this year, has been postponed until 2021. While we are waiting to hear about the work the groups have carried out, the organisers are excited to learn that change projects, as well as the information provided during the training programme, are being used to enhance guidelines and improve challenging situations for numerous stakeholders in the participating countries. One example is the incorporation of a change project into the future Environmental and Social Impact Assessment Guideline for the Mining Sector in Ethiopia.

Despite the postponement of programme activities during the year, participants have continued to work on their change projects and organisers have produced training material for the open ITP 308 website (www.sgu.se/en/itp308). In addition, there have been a couple of online meetings where, e.g., SGU’s new director-general has addressed the programme participants and where the Director of Operations at the Zambian Environmental Management Agency (ZEMA) talked about how they deal with the pandemic.

SGU’s ITP 308 Website Update

During the year, the organising team has worked on developing material for an expansion of the programme website and will continue to do so during 2021. This includes informational resources about mining, sustainability and human rights as well as virtual field visits and innovative exercises and quizzes. This will allow not only the currently participating organisations and individuals to learn about mine water and mine waste management, but also anyone with an interest in the mining sector and its closely related challenges. Everything is freely available on the website, no registration needed. Follow the links below to see more.

Change Project success story in Ethiopia

Our colleagues in Ethiopia from group one, have seen their change project develop into a part of the national ‘Environmental and Social Impact Assessment Guideline for Mining Sector’ (currently a final draft). This is one of many great examples of how the training programme, in such an early stage, has made an impact on organisations, stakeholders and countries. We congratulate our fellow colleagues on their work and look forward to more success stories from the participating countries and organisations in the future.