NOTE TO CORRESPONDENTS SYMPOSIUM TO BE HELD 10 MAY ON CORPORATIONS, COMMUNITIES, SUSTAINABLE SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT IN MINERALS SECTOR

Press Release

NOTE TO CORRESPONDENTS SYMPOSIUM TO BE HELD 10 MAY ON CORPORATIONS, COMMUNITIES, SUSTAINABLE SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT IN MINERALS SECTOR

A one-day symposium on corporations, communities and sustainable social development in the minerals sector organized by the Department for Development Support and Management Services will be held Friday, 10 May, at United Nations Headquarters in New York on the occasion of the third session of the Committee on Natural Resources.

During the 1990s, a series of intergovernmental world conferences have been held by the United Nations to clarify and redefine the meaning of development. This series of conferences has established three fundamental principles: that development must be sustainable; that it must be participatory; and that the private sector must play a major role. The Copenhagen Declaration and Plan of Action adopted in March 1995 at the World Summit for Social Development urge a partnership between governments, non- governmental organizations, the private sector and local communities in endeavouring to achieve its objectives.

In view of the significant implications of the Copenhagen Declaration for industry, in general, and the extractive industry, in particular, the forthcoming symposium will examine specific experience within the mineral sector of such corporate/community relationships. It will catalyze the process of constructive dialogue between corporations and communities, built on best practices. Innovative, real-life examples of cooperation between communities and corporations will be aired, and factors that may have contributed to their success identified. The symposium will, among others, clarify responsibility and accountability in decision-making.

Discussions will centre on ways to alleviate technical, financial and social constraints faced by communities in mining areas, as well as strategies to address issues relating to land rights, resettlement, rehabilitation and closure. The symposium will also outline strategies to ensure that development projects are consistent with good governance and the rights of community members to participate, consistent with the emphasis of the Copenhagen Declaration on the importance of governance through a participatory, transparent and accountable administration.

- 2 - Note No. 5337 8 May 1996

The keynote address of the symposium will be delivered by Richard Butler, Permanent Representative of Australia. Utula Samana, Permanent Representative of Papua New Guinea, will chair the first session of the symposium, and participants will include representatives of leading mining companies, governments, communities, environmentalists, international organizations, mining associations, non-governmental organizations, as well as academics.

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