Global Information Dialogue

(In cooperation with Fernando Loayza, Ian Thomson, Sándor Fülöp and Ginger Gibson.)

Events

Related MMSD reports

MMSD's activities on access to information were designed to:

• Identify best practice and gaps in the area of information availability for the variety of different actors within the sector.
• Develop a clearer understanding of existing and proposed mandatory and voluntary systems for making information available to actors participating in or affected by the mineral industries.
• Identify the key types of information which industry, NGOs, and governments need to provide greater confidence in their reciprocal interactions.
• Define the challenges and opportunities involved in providing relevant and timely information to those who need it.
• Identify the roles, rights and responsibilities of all actors impacted by the sector.
• Identify the drivers of change and make specific recommendations for action by government, companies and communities to ensure appropriate access to information.
• Identify action strategies and funding mechanisms to support implementation of these recommendations.

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In March 2001, MMSD held an initial scoping meeting to address the challenge of “how to ensure meaningful access to information for all stakeholders to the minerals sector”. Several representatives from NGOs, the mining industry, the consulting sector, the Global Reporting Initiative and MMSD started the process of drawing up terms of reference for a study group to address targeted research.

MMSD commissioned several pieces of background research in key areas on the topic of information access. Specifically, these included work on Corporate Communications Standards, The Government Role, A Review of Systems for Making Information Available, and Community Information Needs.

In November 2001, MMSD held a full workshop in Vancouver (with invitees arriving from as far afield as Bolivia, the Philippines and Australia) to evaluate and develop this background research with the ultimate goal of ensuring that the Project's Final Report fully reflects the diversity of viewpoints on this subject. The various attendees represented the interests of a number of different stakeholder groups, including indigenous communities, NGOs, regulatory bodies, labour organisations, academia and the mining industry itself.

The workshop focused on issues of information access for various stakeholders, and, in particular, on the challenges faced in the production, dissemination, use and verification of information within the sector. In this respect, some of the key questions that were tackled at the workshop were:

• What are the duties and needs of each group of actors involved with the sector?
• What is the current status of information production and use?
• Where are the most serious gaps in knowledge and practice?
• What will drive change towards more rational and effective information systems?
• What mechanisms are in place and what new ones are needed to make such changes?
• What systems of governance are required?
• What actions need to be taken to drive such change?

link to November 2001 bulletin article on Access to Information

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Alongside these activities, MMSD also convened two meetings (in August and November 2001) of an Advisory Panel to the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI).
The Panel was composed of individuals knowledgeable in the field of public reporting from a variety of backgrounds and stakeholder groups. It was designed to act as a supervisory body for the work of GRI on mining and reporting issues.

MMSD's work with the GRI looked at both the content of public reports and the need for better systems of reporting to satisfy the needs of all actors involved in the sector. Through these meetings a process was established for evaluating broad categories of indicators being used by the sector, which could then be supplemented by Panel members. The broad categories of indicators were documented and displayed on the GRI website for comment. This list of 'indicator categories' is not meant to be exhaustive, but is rather a 'straw dog' - a preliminary plan that can be used to stimulate discussion on the challenges and opportunities for the sector in moving towards a harmonised mechanism for public disclosure. Harmonisation could provide several benefits, not least the fact that it would allow other actors to compare different public reports.

link to December 2001 bulletin article on GRI

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Events

Access to Information: Scoping Meeting
14 March 2001 Toronto, Canada

Public Reporting: First Advisory Panel meeting
23-24 August 2001 Boston, USA
Hosted by MMSD and GRI

Public Reporting: Second Advisory Panel meeting
28 November 2001 Vancouver, Canada
Hosted by MMSD and GRI

Access to Information: Workshop
29-30 November 2001 Vancouver, Canada

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Report

MMSD Working Papers related to this activity:

Fülöp, Sándor; Kiss, Csaba
Information Availability: A Key to Building Trust in the Minerals Sector. Review of Systems for Making Information Available

Report
(PDF 166KB)

Gibson, Ginger
Community Information Needs: Access to Information Through the Mining Life Cycle

Report
(PDF 115KB)

Gibson, Ginger; MacDonald, Alistair; Thomson, Ian
Access to Information: A Key to Building Trust in the Minerals Sector. Gap Analysis to inform an Experts' Workshops

Report
(PDF 45KB)

Loayza, Fernando
Access to Information: The Government Role

Pring, George
The Law of Public Participation in Mining and Resources Development

Thomson, Ian; MacDonald, Alistair
Access to Information: A Key to Building Trust in the Minerals Sector. Corporate Communication Standards, Practice and Issues

For a full list of MMSD Working Papers, click here.

Report
(PDF 151KB)

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