The United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) comprise 17 global goals that are interrelated and targeted to cover a broad range of social and economic development issues. To achieve the SDGs, the UN has established 169 targets. The SDGs apply to all countries worldwide.
All economic activities and their effects can be mapped against the SDGs and their targets. For mining, two such mapping exercises have been conducted on an international level:
- In 2016, the Columbia Center on Sustainable Investment (CCSI), the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the World Economic Forum released the report “Mapping Mining to the Sustainable Development Goals: An Atlas”. It seeks to build a common understanding of how mining can contribute to achieving the SDGs. The Atlas maps the links between mining and the SDGs by using examples of good practices in the industry and existing knowledge and resources in sustainable development.
In 2020, the Responsible Mining Foundation and CCSI issued a status update. The report “Mining and the SDGs: a 2020 status update” assesses what large-scale mining companies are currently doing to integrate the SDGs into their business strategies and to take proactive measures that will help achieve these goals.
- The ICMM has conducted its own “mapping” of the links of the mining sector with the SDGs, but targeted towards mining companies. For each SDG, it presents what companies need to know to minimise impacts and enhance their positive contribution:
Among the different links between mining and the SDGs, some have received special attention among stakeholders of the mining industry. Pop-up/Expand to find out more about the importance of Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining (ASM), Gender Equality in Mining, and Mining Revenue Governance for sustainable development.