Dr. Doug Aitken, Executive Director of SMI-ICE-Chile, participated as a panelist in the discussion on «Mining Governance and Energy Transition» at the «Natural Resources Governance and Energy Transition in Latin America» event, organized by Transparency International Australia and opened by Codelco Director Tamara Agnic.
The discussion was moderated by Ford Foundation Program Officer Li Ai, and also included Dr. Ana Estefanía Carballo, Head of International Programs at Transparency International Australia and researcher at the University of Melbourne, and Patricia Rinwigati Waagstein, researcher at the Faculty of Law of the University of Indonesia.
In a context where Latin America—and Chile in particular—is experiencing a growing demand for critical minerals, key to the global energy transition, this event seeks to contribute to good governance in the extraction of these critical minerals, where copper and lithium are paramount.
The panel discussed the main governance challenges of this industry and what practices from other countries can contribute. “In our region, we are developing mining that has a major global impact, and therefore, we need to ensure that we are also complying with ESG standards and contributing social value,” stated the executive director of SMI-ICE-Chile. “We must ensure this contribution to the territories where mining operates and minimize the negative social and environmental impacts of mineral extraction. If we don’t achieve this, and the territories don’t perceive mining as a favorable and legitimate partner, the communities will oppose mining development. This is a risk to the energy transition.
“We therefore face a major challenge in terms of investment and the social impact of mining in these mining territories: we need the wealth produced there to also translate into better living conditions for the communities that live in those territories.”
The executive director of SMI-ICE-Chile emphasized that, in addition to effective legislation, there is a need to improve trust between communities and the industry. “This means greater participation and dialogue with communities in the development of responsible mining, as well as greater transparency: we must ensure that all information is public and easily accessible and understandable for all,” he emphasized.
“Regarding corruption, we need simple and clear processes, whose primary focus is not only sanctioning bad practices but also supporting good management. We must strengthen ESG practices and place them at the center of decisions.”
