Ministers of Mining from the Americas are meeting in Santo Domingo for the 12th Annual Mines Ministries of the Americas Conference (CAMMA) on 18-19 October 2022. CAMMA is a ministerial level mining policy forum, that represents 23 governments in the Americas and the Caribbean. The entity says it backs sustainable development of minerals and metals.
Vice President Raquel Peña, who heads the Energy Cabinet, and Energy & Mines Antonio Almonte are scheduled to give speeches at the conference’s opening. As reported, representatives of 23 regional governments are in Santo Domingo to exchange knowledge and experiences in public mining management.
A press release from the Ministry of Energy and Mines says that Vice President Peña and Mines Minister Almonte will highlight the importance of the extractive industry in terms of jobs, tax revenues, foreign exchange, technology transfer and social responsibility.
The 12th Annual Conference of Mining Ministries of the Americas is happening at the Santo Domingo Sheraton Hotel on the Malecón.
During the working sessions, the main focus of this multilateral forum on mining policy will be sustainable mining and the search for mechanisms to facilitate inter-institutional communication among the sector’s stakeholders.
CAMMA is described as a space for improving the governance of mineral resources, strengthening eco-sustainable commitments and highlighting the contribution of mining to the achievement of the so-called “Millennium Development Goals”.
Other speakers on the program are Industry & Commerce Minister Víctor Bisonó Haza; Canadian Ambassador Cristine Laberge; Mark Bristow, president of Barrick Gold; Juana Barceló, president of Barrick Pueblo Viejo and Rafael Poveda, consultant of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC).
Also Elizabeth Mena, president of the Dominican Association of Exporters (Adoexpo) and executive vice-president of Cormidom; Adan Olivares, of the Initiative for the Assurance of Responsible Mining; and Pierre Pasquale, of the Institute for the Governance of National Resources.
In addition, there will be interesting panels in face-to-face and virtual formats, which will be chaired by Miguel Díaz, Vice Minister of Mines; Rolando Muñoz, Director of Mining; Miguel Peña, mining advisor to the Executive Branch; and Edwin García, Director of the National Geological Service.
The global consultant Armand Peschard-Sverdrup will present the conference: “Mining and governance of mineral resources in the development of Latin America”.
Also scheduled to participate are: Todd Burns, president of Cypher Environmetal; Jeff Simpson of Aquatic Life; James Lauer, director of the Extractive Sector and Natural Resources Transparency and Taxation Division of Canada; consultant and geologist, Osiris de León; Marcos Pérez, president Dominican Mining Institute; Vicente Gabaldón of the ASGMI General Secretariat; Julissa Báez, Dominican Association of Cement Producers (ADOCEM); Jeannette Sánchez, from the Natural Resources and Infrastructure Division (ECLAC); Freddy Cáceres, manager of the Extractive Resources Governance Program of the University of Calgary, Canada; Gabriel Castillo, director of Climate Change; Yomaira Martinó Soto, from GreEnergy Dominicana and Gamal Michelén, Deputy Minister of Culture.
The meeting ends with the speech by Minister of the Presidency Joel Santos and on 20 October 2022, the participants are invited to visit two mining companies operating in the Dominican Republic.
The meeting is taking place when several large mining companies seek environmental permits to expand their operations.
Read more in Spanish:
Ministry of Energy & Mines
El Dia
18 October 2022