Description
This is the 6th Annual General meeting. The Intergovernmental Forum is the institutional framework for the Global Dialogue on Mining/Metals and Sustainable Development which was one of a number of Partnership Initiatives launched at the World Summit on Sustainable Development (Johannesburg, South Africa, 2002). It is a voluntary initiative by national governments with an interest in mining to work collectively to advance priorities identified for the sector in the Johannesburg Plan of Action. The Forum is the only global policy forum for the mining/metals sector with the overarching objective to enhance capacity for the overall governance in the sector. The major goals of the Forum are to: (i) Enhance and promote the contribution of the mining, minerals and metals sector to sustainable development. (ii) Provide governments with a framework in which to discuss the opportunities and challenges of the sector. The Governments of Canada and South Africa provided the leadership in launching the Forum which was established in February 2005. The annual meetings of the Intergovernmental Forum takes place at high level and involve the sharing of experiences and information, consideration and provision of advice and, where appropriate, the making of recommendations for consideration by governments, intergovernmental bodies and others. Any member State of the United Nations may become a member of the Intergovernmental Forum. The annual general meetings of the Forum have been co-hosted by UNCTAD.