Global WIM Summit - International Women in Mining (IWiM)

Together for gender equality in mining

The inaugural Global WIM Summit convened by IWiM on 1 and 2 March 2021 was a great success, and significant progress was made towards bringing women in mining (WIM) organisations together as a unified movement, speaking with one voice on the issues that matter to all women in mining, worldwide.

Global WIM Summit Event Report

225 WIM organisation representatives from more than 70 WIM organisations across the world benefitted from insightful keynote presentations and participation in thought-provoking workshops and collegial round tables with key industry experts. The event was carefully coordinated across multiple time zones with simultaneous translation in French and Spanish to make it as inclusive and immersive as possible.

Sponsors included knowledge partner McKinsey and Company, the Intergovernmental Forum on Mining, Minerals, Metals (IGF) and Minerals Council Australia.

The Global Summit also saw the Launch of the International WIM Alliance, a pioneering initiative designed to leverage the collective strength of WIM organisations in pursuit of gender equality in mining. The publication of the International WIM Alliance Declaration represents a milestone in the journey of the global WIM movement towards improved conditions and opportunities for women in the extractives industry.

Resolutions reached at the Global WIM Summit included:

A call for a more coordinated approach to globalised advocacy in support of local and national initiatives;
A call for increased coordination at a global level with regulators, policy shapers and market leaders to fully integrate the WIM agenda; and
A call for increased collaboration among WIM organisations to devise shared guidance, tools and initiatives facilitating their work in support of women in mining.

Highlights

225 attendees from more than 70 WIM organisations across the world
- 27 WIM organisations in Africa, including founder of emerging organisation in Sudan
- 7 WIM organisations in Asia, including founder of emerging organisation in China
- 7 WIM organisations in Australia and New Zealand
- 8 WIM organisations in Europe
- 13 WIM organisations and chapters in North America
- 10 WIM organisations in Latin America

320 networking activities such as chats and meetings among attendees via the Summit platform
16 workshops and round tables over two days, spanning every time zone and totalling 21 hours of interactive live sessions
4 pre-recorded keynotes and panels, 210+ views
18 leading experts facilitating interactive workshops or speaking in pre-recorded keynotes and panels
14 WIM organisations hosting networking round tables on priority themes chosen by WIM organisation leaders polled in December 2020
10 WIM organisations speaking together to announce the International WIM Alliance

Keynotes Videos

Gender Practices in Mining and Addressing the Data Deficit

The improvements needed and opportunities available for women in mining have been increasingly acknowledged over the last decade. A variety of initiatives have aimed to increase the number and improve the position of women in both large-scale and artisanal mining, in line with global adoption of SDG 5 on gender equality and women’s empowerment. This panel of experts discuss recent efforts by industry, governments, civil society organisations and international development partners and their effectiveness in attracting, retaining and promoting women across the mining industry. Panellists also highlight gaps in this analysis resulting from the lack of global, disaggregated and reliable data on women in mining. The paucity of disclosure and inconsistency of estimation criteria and methodology hinder assessments of progress on gender equality in the mining industry, as well as the emergence of evidence-based advocacy for women’s participation in mining and its leadership globally. This has become the focus of new proposals and coordination among stakeholders and policy shapers, which are discussed by the panel.

Skills of the Future - The Stakes for Women in Mining

Leading industry organisations represented in this panel discuss how mining features in global trends for the evolution of the skills necessary to sustain growth and innovation, highlighting how women can prepare for the changing nature of work and contribute to the transformation of mining. Each speaker presents their organisation’s ambitions for the sector and its workforce. These hinge on a combination of innovation, people and skills to deliver a more globally competitive minerals sector. Education, training and workforce development are crucial to ensure a sustainable supply of skilled labour that enables mining to play a key role in strengthening social and economic resilience in local communities, and the promotion of diversity and inclusion. The stakes are high for the mining sector and the opportunity for women is significant, with workforce shortages and increased societal expectations: the panellists discuss how forward-looking organisations are already addressing, and sometimes leading, this evolution.

WIM Organisations - Opportunities & Challenges

Women in Mining (WIM) organisations share a common vision: to improve working and living conditions for women in and alongside mining. Nevertheless, their objectives and activities vary. Anecdotal evidence suggests that WIM organisations are often run by volunteers and may struggle with funding, governance capability, membership outreach and sustainability. This can limit their voice and agency. To date, there has not been a detailed, empirical examination into the workings of WIM organisations. There is scope for greater understanding of how these organisations embark on their journey, how they are structured, how the members interact, the challenges they are facing, and their successes. The World Bank and IWiM have partnered on pioneering research to address this data gap and present the findings in their report Impactful Women: Examining Opportunities and Constraints for Women in Mining Organisations Worldwide.

Genesis of the International WIM Alliance

There are now over 100 formal and informal organisations supporting and representing women in mining across established mining jurisdictions and emerging markets. In addition, leading mining industry organisations are now promoting the role of women in terms of industry performance and the achievement of global societal objectives in line with the SDGs. These factors have contributed to the growth and strengthening of the WIM movement over the last decade. Despite this progress, much work remains to be done to ensure that the voice of women is heard, as well as to improve diversity, governance and sustainability in the industry. In 2020, proposals were made to structure a global, multilateral platform to facilitate collaboration among WIM organisations and promote the emergence of a strong, unified WIM voice. These proposals were assessed and refined by a Founding Committee of WIM organisations, and the resulting International WIM Alliance is being launched as a highlight of this Global WIM Summit.