IWiM | WIM Champion

 

The International WIM Alliance is a pioneering initiative that brings WIM organisations together to leverage our collective strength in pursuit of gender equality. The Alliance was established to provide a global, multilateral platform that will facilitate collaboration among WIM organisations and promote the emergence of a strong, unified WIM voice. It will be implemented by a Secretariat hosted by IWiM, under the guidance of a Steering Committee of WIM organisation representatives.

Please find here the Official Declaration, co-authored by the WIM organisations which were instrumental in structuring it to the benefit of all of us.

 

 

Background & Next Steps for the WIM Movement

Global stakeholders, such as international organisations and global businesses, have long expressed the need for a conduit or coordinator to facilitate more consistent engagement with WIM organisations worldwide, which have themselves called for better coordination over the last few years. With increasing societal expectations, diversity and inclusion are now significant stakes across the mining sector, at the heart of strategic issues including social licence to operate, availability of skills necessary to transform the mining industry and meeting the challenges of the energy transition.

It became clear in 2020 that we were at a turning point for the WIM movement: like many change-driven grass roots movements, the time has come for us to seek to leverage collective strength to achieve deeper, more durable and more systemic effects. It is actually a sign of success and progress that WIM organisations are now facing the challenges of alignment on a common agenda and multilateral cooperation. Building on the success of WIM organisations in delivering constructive initiatives and thought leadership locally, we chose to explore avenues to realise our common purpose on a global scale, focusing on issues of strategic importance both to women and to the mining industry.

Following discussions among WIM organisations and with stakeholders including international organisations focusing on gender in extractives, IWiM launched the concept of a multilateral collaboration platform in June 2020.

A Founding Committee comprised of leaders of WIM organisations volunteered their time and energy to this important work, focused on:

  • defining the specific purpose, objectives and mission of the Alliance Network, beyond statements of principle focusing on the emergence of a strong, united WIM voice;
  • defining a preliminary strategy and action plan for the next three years; and
  • assessing organisational models and options in support of the mission and strategy.

A series of meetings and email consultations took place in Q4 2020, culminating in proposals circulated to leaders of WIM organisations worldwide in the form of a comprehensive survey in December 2020.

This established a clear consensus on the Founding Committee’s proposals, common themes of interest and well-defined areas of collaboration and common expression for WIM organisations. The results of this survey were analysed and adopted by the Founding Committee in January 2021 and form the basis of the International WIM Alliance Declaration, which was then published at the Global WIM Summit.

One of the conclusions that quickly emerged was the choice of a loose structure, with an internal focus on coordination and an external focus on advocacy: this is the foundation of the International WIM Alliance. Its actions and positions will be guided by the following values and principles:

  • Respect and Inclusivity, intrinsic to the WIM movement: Women in mining come from all backgrounds, beliefs, abilities and experiences and we recognise the value of each individual and are committed to treating every person with due regard for their rights, dignity and well-being;
  • Collaboration, in that we work with others in a spirit of mutuality and solidarity, celebrate diversity and respect others’ choices in the pursuit of common goals for an equitable world free of the systems marginalising women; and
  • Integrity and Transparency: We act with honesty and are guided by ethical and moral principles in all that we do; we work with transparency, hold ourselves to the highest standards and strive to deliver concrete, positive change for women in mining.

This is indeed a turning point for women in mining. Together, we will leverage our collective strength, creativity, expertise and resilience to change not only our own role, but transform the mining industry to improve diversity, governance and sustainability. Our ambitions are limitless, our determination is robust and our collective achievements will be inspiring.

 

International WIM Alliance Founders