[Mercedes Stickler]
Good morning, good afternoon, and good evening to everyone joining us today.
[Applause]
Welcome to those of you here with us at the World Bank headquarters in Washington, DC, and those joining us from across the globe via World Bank Live. My name is Mercedes Stickler, and I’m a Senior Land Administration Specialist at the World Bank and the team leader for the World Bank Land Conference. I am so pleased to welcome you to the opening session of the 2025 World Bank Land Conference.
The World Bank Land Conference is the premier global forum for the land sector. For over 20 years, we have been bringing together participants from governments, development partners, civil society, academia, and the private sector to showcase research, discuss technical issues and good practices, and inform investments and policy dialogue to strengthen land systems worldwide for sustainable development and economic growth.
This year’s Land Conference features 57 sessions on a variety of topics, including e-governance, standards, urbanization, land management, women’s rights, and energy—the topic of today’s opening session—which will highlight how land systems create jobs and unlock the future of energy.
We are thrilled to have with us today Mr. Rohitesh Dhawan, President and CEO of the International Council on Mining and Metals (ICMM), to deliver keynote remarks. Ro leads the Council of 24 CEOs of the world’s largest mining and metals companies in voluntary leadership actions that raise the standard on responsible mining.
Under his leadership, ICMM has made landmark commitments on sustainable development issues, including the first industry-wide pledge to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions, the first collective commitment to nature-positive mining, and increased transparency in industry contributions and performance, including on tax and contract disclosure. He also led the update of ICMM’s position on Indigenous Peoples, marking a significant commitment to respecting their rights and securing agreement in relation to mining projects on their land.
Following Ro’s keynote, he will be joined on stage by Ms. Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim, Vice Chair of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, and Ms. Jennifer Layke, Global Director for Energy at the World Resources Institute, for a multi-stakeholder discussion moderated by Dr. Demetrios Papathanasiou, Global Director for Energy and Extractives at the World Bank.
Their discussion will focus on how the private sector, governments, local landholders, and civil society can work together to advance socially responsible and environmentally sustainable mining investments that unlock jobs, expand energy access, and support economic growth.
But first—over to you, Ro.
[Rohitesh Dhawan]
Thank you, Mercedes. Good morning, everybody. I’m genuinely so honored and humbled to be with you, especially as I understand that it’s the first time in the 20 years of this extraordinary event that somebody from the private sector has occupied this space. I’m truly grateful. Thank you, and I’m also so sorry that I can’t be with you in person. Now, given that, the least I owe you is honesty. And the honest truth is the following, which is that despite many examples on the positive side, the mining industry has not always treated land with the respect and care that it deserves. Saying this, colleagues, does not make me popular with some in the industry that I proudly represent. Let us remember that those who forget history are condemned to repeat it. And so today, I want to recognize and explore the reasons for the good, the bad, and the ugly outcomes for land and its people, plants, and animals as a result of mining. More importantly, I want to share with you why I’m more hopeful than ever of a bright future with decent jobs and shared prosperity on a healthy, thriving planet. Let me start, colleagues, with two obvious facts. The first is that our lives are wholly dependent on metals and minerals. From our homes, cars and gadgets to bridges, roads and energy systems, minerals are the backbone of almost everything we touch, see, and feel. The second is that they come from the land. Some, like diamonds, can lie on its surface. Others, like gold and copper, run deep into the Earth’s core. In essence, if it isn’t growing, then it is mined, and land is the source of both. This explains why we have an estimated 25,000 mining companies operating today, producing the vital commodities that make our lives possible. It also explains why in the coming decades, we will need hundreds of new mines to supply the world with critical minerals for the energy transition. What it does not explain is why for each one of the 25,000 active mines, there are an estimated six abandoned or orphaned mines. Or why an estimated 23 million people live on land contaminated by mining or why one million square kilometers of the Earth’s surface is covered in mine waste. Friends, how and why, in producing these commodities, have we undermined the health of land, the very source of minerals and of life? More importantly, what can we learn from the past to ensure that the coming wave of growth in mining enables a safe, just, and sustainable planet? Here are my three key lessons for building that future, an inspiring, life affirming, hopeful example of each. First, just because we can does not mean we should. Technology has turned mining into modern day industrial magic. We can literally move mountains and shift the course of ancient rivers, But should we? In many cases, the answer will be yes, because all things considered, as a society, we may reach consensus that the need for commodities and the opportunity for host countries to prosper, grow and develop means that mining should go ahead with the least possible disruption to land, impacted people, and nature. In other cases, the answer must be no, because the price or risk is simply too high. This is why ICMM members have a commitment for over two decades to not mine or operate in World Heritage Sites. These are places where the risk is simply too high, no matter how rich the resource or how great the need. Further, if an ICMM member does operate close to such a site, they’re committed to doing so only if their operations do not unduly affect the attributes of that site. In some cases, the answer of whether we should mine can be a “yes, and.” This is why ICMM members made a landmark commitment last year to contribute to nature-positive outcomes. We have committed to protecting and preserving nature at our mine sites, in the landscapes in which we operate, through our supply chains, and across the wider economy, grounded in a cornerstone commitment to ensure no loss of biodiversity at all our sites. The spirit of this commitment has seen companies like Vale protect 11 hectares of land for every one hectare distilled by mining, and why Anglo American has made thousands of data points on biodiversity using leading e-DNA techniques publicly available to advance our collective research and understanding of nature, and why Teck Resources protects one of the most precious and fragile ecosystems in the country of their flagship new mine, Quebrada Blanca. These and countless other actions of ICMM members show how it is possible to mine in harmony with land and nature. The second lesson, colleagues from the past and a principle for the future, is that not everything of value has a price. Land is indispensable and often a major cost in mining. And so, its price is closely scrutinized and debated as it should be. In doing so, however, we must never lose sight of the intangible value of land, especially from the perspective of those who often don’t have a voice around the financial table. This is why in 2024, ICMM members reinforced their commitment to respecting the rights of indigenous people. To our updated position statement, we committed to obtaining agreement…
[Audio cuts off]
[Rohitesh Dhawan]
… Gorge 2020 during blasting activities for iron or mining was a watershed moment for a much needed recalibration of the relationship between the mining industry and indigenous people. While nothing can bring the ancient and invaluable cultural heritage back, the company responsible Rio Tinto has sought to drive change. For instance, at a Western Range mine in Australia, the company has formed a pioneering co-management agreement with indigenous communities, which will see joint decision making in key areas, including environmental management and post-mine transitions. This, colleagues, links to the third lesson and principle for the future, which is that land thrives when people thrive and vice versa. When mines are operated responsibly, their positive impacts in this regard are extraordinary. In 2024 alone, the 24 company members of ICMM directly supported over 600,000 jobs between them and potentially millions more indirectly. Now, behind these extraordinary numbers are lives transformed, children educated, and homes built. The 41 billion dollars in wages and over 200 billion dollars spent with suppliers show the power of responsible mining to drive jobs, prosperity, and development. The industry is often the backbone of the development of those countries. In the last 10 years, for every one dollar of profit that ICMM members made, they returned 36 cents to host countries in corporate income tax and royalty. From Chile to Botswana, you can trace the breakaway growth of economies to responsible mineral-led development, but friends, the story is less positive when it comes to periods post mining. Too many mines were designed and operated without any plan for the land or host community after the minerals had been extracted, leaving behind holes in the ground and hollowed out communities. Governments and the industry share accountability for these failures, and we must do better for the estimated 1,000 mines that are due to close in the next decade. To support this, I’m very pleased to use this special platform today to announce the launch of the critical resource. ICMM today has published a handbook on multi-stakeholder approaches to socioeconomic transitions in mining. It provides a practical step-by-step guide on how a whole of society approach is both necessary and possible to ensure healthy and thriving communities through every stage of mining. I encourage you all to read, use and share this widely. An inspiring example of this approach comes from the Mpumalanga province of South Africa, a country and province that is very rich in coal, but with among the highest rates of unemployment and inequality in the world. So, when the ICMM member Glencore was planning for the closure of the mine in line with its commitment to responsibly run down its coal production, it took a creative approach to carrying not just for the land, but for the people who remained there long after the mine had closed. And so, they partnered with Kellogg’s, the cornflakes’ producer, to create sustainable rural livelihoods through wheat cultivating. What’s more, they found that the responsible management of water resources meant that the wheat produced had higher than normal zinc, which, of course, helps counter the scourge of childhood malnutrition from zinc deficiency. It’s a nice little reminder of our potential the next time you take a bite of your cornflakes. Colleagues, in closing, let me return to the basics. Land is the source of life, including the minerals our world depends on. Caring for it is not only our duty and obligation as a species, but also good for our businesses. We have many examples of responsible mining, but far too many failures that have harmed the land, its people, the more than human species who we share this planet with. So, as we look to the future by remembering that just because we can doesn’t mean we should. Not everything of value has a price and that land thrives when people thrive, we can ensure that a common heritage of land is the enduring source of our shared prosperity. Thank you very much.
[Applause]
[Demetrios Papathanasiou]
Hi, everyone. Good afternoon, good evening if you’re connecting from Asia. Good morning to everyone here in Washington. We have a full Preston Auditorium, and I know there is quite a number of people on the overflow room as well. Without further ado, let me invite here to the stage our two panelists who haven’t been introduced yet. Let me start with Ms. Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim, who is Vice Chair for the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues. Hindou, please come on stage.
[Applause]
[Demetrios Papathanasiou]
Let me also invite Jennifer Layke, who is the Global Director for the World Resources Institute at the Polsky Center for the Global Energy Transition.
[Applause]
[Demetrios Papathanasiou]
Just a few words, if I may, for both of them, so that you know how they fit in this event. Let me start with Hindou, who was telling me just earlier that she is from the Mbororo people, which is a pastoralist people in Chad, in Africa. She was telling me that she has cousins in almost five different countries in Africa, and apparently here in Maryland as well. She has, of course, a really important role of bringing the voice of indigenous people. She has been working on these issues since she was very young, and she has been participating and representing indigenous people in various UN forums, including in the late climate change negotiations. We’re really looking forward to hear from Hindou. She advised me earlier that she wants to be able to jump in and interrupt people when they say something that she feels needs to be commented on. Jennifer, she’s with the World Resources Institute. She has a long career in the energy sector and deep experience in understanding how to do the business side of it as well as the policy side. Jennifer, thank you for calling us. And, Rohitesh, thank you very much for your keynote. I really appreciate it that you started off by, as you said, being honest about the past and the challenges of bringing mining to giving us the metals and the minerals that the world needs as we go ahead with energy transition and as the world grows and develops. If I may, I would like to start off with a question for you. Part of what the challenge has always been is that we know many of the countries where we work in, they have an enormous wealth of metals, mines. The potential to develop is sitting in the Earth there. Of course, what we’re all striving for is to make sure that we find a way that this development is happening responsibly. And of course, responsibility is a big, big word. And at the same time, we want to make sure that when we do that, we manage risks, as you said, and we do it in the best possible way. Let me start by asking you, what is it that you find that your members are looking for in countries when they find opportunities to develop? What are the main principles? I would like to ask you also; how do their investors think about it and how do investors in the big mining companies hold them accountable to behave responsibly? If you have any ideas and any advice about us in the World Bank Group on how we can be the right facilitator, the right mediator, if needed, so that we can get development going responsibly, realize the economic growth, but make sure that this is done in the right way.
[Rohitesh Dhawan]
Demetrios, thank you so much. It’s a big question to answer to you because after all, it is the World Bank that has for so many decades been that standard of good practice for both governments and companies to make sure that development is brought to the host countries where these mineral resources are found. But as you know, Demetrios, that has too often remained an empty promise for places where mining has occurred. When you ask me what companies at least are seeking, I think what they’re seeking are two main things. One is an environment which allows them to make the long-term investment decisions that mining is all about. A mine can last for 200 years or more. We have examples of mines that are operating today that are that old, but at the minimum, we are looking at least a couple of decades for a mine. And so, companies need to know that when you’re looking for that investment, the rules of the game, as it were, are both visible and predictable so that there aren’t changes unanticipated down the line. That’s the first thing. But honestly, Demetrios, if you’re a responsible mining company, that’s not enough for you. The second thing you should be looking for is a commitment on the part of that government to partner with you to adopt, embrace, and support the highest standards of responsible mining. One thing Demetrios said very core to the ICMM membership proposition is that, if a company follows a particular standard in one part of the world and they go to a different part of the world where the regulatory level is lower than what they follow elsewhere, there is no justification or basis for lowering to match the place in which you’re now operating. Being a responsible operator means operating to the best standard, no matter where you operate. And in doing so, Demetrios, I believe that’s the pathway to ensuring that people benefit from resource extraction and development.
[Demetrios Papathanasiou]
Thank you very much, Rohitesh. Let me ask Jennifer, who has very kindly helped me with my water here. Jennifer, we know that the planet is perilously close to hitting targets, increasing temperatures, and the only way to deal with that while still maintaining economic growth is that we have to find ways to accelerate clean energy alternatives around the world. Clean energy alternatives in most places, and I’m looking at the picture that we have here in the Land Conference, we see rows and rows of solar panels. We know that they need land. So, the whole energy transition needs the right responsible development of mining so that we get the materials for the equipment that we need for clean energy investments. At the same time, we can see that itself, the investments of clean energy, especially because solar and wind are so much dispersed, they need land as well. So, in your work at WRI, you have thought a lot about how do we do this right, how we do it in a sustainable manner, and how do we bring financing in this sector. So, what can you enlighten us and share that are some good practices? What your findings on this work?
[Jennifer Layke]
Thank you. It’s wonderful to be here with you all. I want to start with a few statistics. As you noted, the energy transition is going to be a land and people transition. The expansion of mining and energy development is going to account, and by some estimates, for up to 80% of all projected expansion into natural lands. That is, indeed, a very significant fat number. The sectors on energy are playing an outsized role in what will happen with land. An increased conflict between industrial development, industrialization, urbanization, local needs, and agriculture are occurring already today. Our government and planning institutional decision-making approaches are inadequate for helping us through this. The energy sector, as a sector, lags in thinking through how to interact very significant ways that are using the most modern, the most practical tools. That includes looking at things like AI, looking at digital and data sources, and in thinking about how governments and institutions like multilateral development banks can create co-investment platforms in order to overcome some of these challenges. When we think about, for example, this solar array, a panel, a solar farm that you have on the conference website here, there are dramatic new opportunities to think about intensification of solar with agriculture to enable an improved agrivoltaics approach to land management. Similarly, as we think about the mining and the minerals’ space, the opportunities associated with managing for, recycling, reuse, upgrading, and reskilling are essential for a durable transition for both energy and people as well as land. I was very struck by the announcement just now from ICMM about the handbook, and I hope that there will be opportunities to think more strategically about land systems co-investment through mining to local communities in order to ensure that we are thinking about a clean, abundant, affordable, and reliable energy future that includes mining at the fore.
[Demetrios Papathanasiou]
Thank you, Jennifer. Hindou, let me turn to you now. I hear there’s a lot of good intentions, and Rohitesh started with an acknowledgement that things in the past have not always been rosy. Our estimates are that a quarter of the land in the world is with indigenous people. We estimate that about half, maybe up to 80% of the metals and minerals that we need for the energy transition is one way or the other associated or present in lands that indigenous peoples have right on. So, we have this forceful demand to make sure that we can develop alternative energy systems. I think there’s a lot of good intentions about doing things right, but I would like to hear from you. How do indigenous people feel that pressure? How do you, indigenous people, think as they look in the 21st century, the pressures of climate change, all these demands for development on their lands? What is your perspective on that?
[Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim]
Thank you very much.
[Speaking in foreign language]
. It’s really a great pleasure to be with you here. Thank you, Mercedes, really for this event and focusing in what’s happening right now, actually, for all of us. Well, let me start by one part of your questions. Indigenous peoples are the most impacted by climate change. Of course, because our land territories are always the ones who are getting this impact. When it is a flood, for us, it is not only the water, it is the flood that is washing our land. When there is a drought, it’s not only drying the land, it is drying our home. When there is fire, it is not burning only the forest that we can watch in the TV. It is burning our home, our knowledge, all the rest of the species. When we wanted to fight climate change, of course, we all agreed we have to move from the fossil fuel to the renewables. Indigenous people fight it for that for years. Thanks to the COP28, we get this decision to move out from the fossil fuels, but of course, we need a just transition. I wanted to put a big, heavy lift in the just. We need a just, equitable, inclusive transition. We cannot repeat the past mistake to say we discover a solution that is going to harm the people. So, indigenous peoples protect the land, the biodiversity, but the most diverse land that we are living on it. So, this area is a high spot of biodiversity. It’s not going to be used on the name of the solution to destroy them. And again, we say, “Oops, we’re going back again to the first solution that we have.” So, it needs to be constructed from now in a better way, fair way, that can respect the principles of indigenous peoples. What are those principles? Every action has to be the right best approach. So, the just transitions have to be a right best approach. It has to respect the indigenous people’s rights, and to respect it, there is a big need of the cognition of indigenous people’s land and territories. Land tenure is the most important when we wanted to talk about the solutions. Secondly, we have to recognize the collective land rights. It’s not individuals because we are living collectively. One of the examples is like, “Okay, let’s go and talk to the indigenous peoples and come back.” No, not talk with them. Make a process of the free, prior, and informed consent. It is the process that can take years. For example, the pastorals, like my people, when we move from one place to another one, when they come to this consultation, we are not there. They have to come back. They have to come back again and again to make it inclusive for everyone, not just to come and go away. We need a legislation that can really ensure these land rights are protected in order to do this just, equitable, and sure transitions. Finally, the just transitions with land for indigenous peoples is to be inclusive for all the regions because when we do about these just transitions, we just start talking about, again, the bigger countries, again, the bigger cities that are not taken into consideration, the developing nations, the indigenous peoples who are living in the rural areas, or those who are pastoralists. So, it has to be equitable, just, inclusive to be responsible for everyone and to be just for the planet and the people.
[Demetrios Papathanasiou]
So let me...
[Applause]
[Demetrios Papathanasiou]
As we go in the second stage of our conversation, I think what we’re looking for is, how can we make sure that, as you said, indigenous peoples are indeed threatened by climate change, and they can be very vulnerable. At the same time, we have the reality that to move the world forward, we have to find the right way so that investment can happen in the land of indigenous people. You correctly said that this needs to be inclusive. It has to be done right. I understand that just recently at the 24th Session of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, you presented a study on the rights of indigenous people in the context of critical minerals and the just transition. Could you share with us what are the key findings on this study and what do you feel needs to be in place a little bit more concretely so that we can make sure that indigenous peoples are treated fairly?
[Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim]
Absolutely. Firstly, I invite all of you to read this study. It is in the UN website in all the six languages. The reason that I did this study, last year as indigenous peoples, we organized an Indigenous Peoples Summit on Just Transition and Critical Minerals because we wanted to go ahead and ask the companies, the government, the UN, all the financial institutions, that you have to do it right this time, and we are giving you the way of doing it. Of course, I also got inspired with the UNSG high-level panel on the critical minerals and just transitions. And then, I went to dive deep to do this study. But what you have to return from this study, there are responsibilities of every single sector. Firstly, the government. The government has the huge responsibility to design right policies, legislations that can recognize the indigenous people’s rights, to respect it. But the legislation also which can allow the private sectors to be in their own responsibility of consulting indigenous peoples, and they have to create a mechanism of the access and benefit sharing. When indigenous peoples accept and when it is touching their land, there is need of the access and benefit sharing of indigenous peoples who have to be unsure, but the government also has to be responsible of after how many years of these instructions, what will be the responsibility vis-a-vis to the nature? Because it’s not only you come, you get it, and you go away. You have to restore, you have to protect this land for the upcoming generation. Indigenous peoples talk about the seven upcoming generations. Don’t talk about 10 years or 50 years, but seven upcoming generations have to come back and live in this land. But of course, the private sectors, but the mining initiative like ICMM, yes, you are doing your best. We are not asking you to do your best. We are asking you to do the right
[thing]
. So, you have to include the Indigenous People’s Declaration or the right. So, those UNDRIP have to be considered into the statement, not into the back of it, but I do not see it in the statement, and I’m happy that we discuss around that. I hope in your next statement, the indigenous people’s rights can be in front, not in the back. You have to ensure the concept of the FPIC. And the studies show it also. How the UN agencies, the financial institutions, can ensure the indigenous people’s rights are upheld. So, we can get our voices there. Not someone else can speak on our behalf. We have to speak for ourselves. The institutions must have us not in a panel, but in their own board members. When you are not in the board, you’re just discussing with the CEO. The CEO is reporting back to the board. No. We wanted to be in the board of all these companies and in all these institutions who are discussing about the critical mines in just transition. Then we can contribute in a right way. So, the study really showed a right way of how we can do the just transitions in an equitable way, inclusive way that can be very respectful. I invite you to read it, and I hope you will enjoy it, and you can find indigenous people as experts.
[Demetrios Papathanasiou]
Thank you very much, Hindou.
[Applause]
[Demetrios Papathanasiou]
Let me, Jennifer, you said earlier that getting the communities when we’re making investments is key. Are there examples? Do we know where this has worked? Are there any good cases where we can point out and say that, yes, this is a place where things appear to have been done right, and this contributes to the sustainability of the project?
[Jennifer Layke]
Well, I think there are certainly a lot of individual case studies. I actually want to raise this up, though, one level to the systems because I think that what we have identified is that it is at the system level. Any individual project can do, I think, a good job, a solid job of engaging with local communities, of engaging around resources, around jobs, and around ensuring that there are safety improvements that we’re not taking advantage of the community and in creating risks. But at a systems level, we are lacking the ability to manage at a landscape level. That landscape level then also needs to be defined with local communities. I think part of our problem as a community of planners, investors, and project developers, is that we look within the boundaries of the site that we are developing. The fact of development, however, is that you have all kinds of unanticipated consequences. We did a review of illegal mining in the Amazon, for example. What we found in many cases, which the World Bank has substantiated many times, is that there is an economic activity that is a driver that may or may not have originated with the mining sector. The economic driver could have been a road. It could have been some other type of an established economic activity, but it invites in the broader opportunities for illegal mining and illegal activity. In that Latin American study, where it was multi-country but all within the Amazon, it was very clear that the landscape level, cross-country boundaries, and cross-indigenous ownership levels were required. You have your owners and you have your affected communities who may not be owners, who may be using that land and may be engaged in economic activities that are more nomadic and not recognized, in fact, even within their governments. So, I do think that the opportunity to do landscape-level planning is essential. Free, prior and informed consent is a prerequisite as well, but looking together at where agriculture, where industry, what can be relocated, where are the resources, and how do you really build back the ecosystems, and making that a priority with local communities can also then be instructive with regards the go and no-go zones. I mean, Ro mentioned, for example, that you do have to have a recognition of some of the ecological significance or cultural significances of specific land areas. So, looking at that integration of people, nature, and the economy is essential, but we need to do that beyond the project. I think that’s where our institutions are most challenged.
[Demetrios Papathanasiou]
So, I’ve been listening very carefully to what you said about doing the landscape planning from the beginning, thinking through what happens at the end of an operation, which might happen decades later. Hindou indeed said that we have to think seven generations into the future, which I think fits very well with being responsible for the now and being responsible for our children, our grandchildren, our grand-grandchildren, great-grandchildren. It’s a different way of thinking about this. I wanted to ask you, Rohitesh, and I will read out and quote what you have on Commitment 6 of ICMM’s position statement. You say that, “Companies should enable benefit sharing that reflects and is aligned with indigenous peoples’ aspirations, that benefit sharing should be equitably distributed and facilitate positive outcomes that extend beyond the life of operations.” I do hear that we do have a challenge, but it seems to me that there is agreement in the principles, but I wanted to ask you, do you have some examples of successful benefit sharing or co-equity, co-ownership models that have worked out for our ICMM members?
[Rohitesh Dhawan]
We do, Demetrios and just to say that, Hindou, I’m so grateful to you for holding us to account as you always do, my sister. On this one, though, you will have to agree with me that the ICMM position statement doesn’t just have UNDRIP and FPIC in the front. It’s the first paragraph of the first page of our position statement
[where it]
talks about the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People, which is the framework that we are guided by and the principle of free, prior, informed consent, which is the obligation of states to obtain before mining activities takes place. I’m 100% with you. That is non-negotiable at the front and center of our approach. Actually, one of the best examples of how you put that in practice comes from one of our members, BHP, whose operations in Canada are guided by a plan for indigenous engagement, where they have taken UNDRIP, United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People, and structured their whole plan around that framework to really embed the principles into how they ensure the economic participation of indigenous people in a fair, equitable way. A couple of specific sites that I think really do stand out here. One would be the Gove mine in Australia that’s operated by Rio Tinto, where they’re mining for bauxite, which is the key ingredient to make aluminum, but in the next few years, that bauxite mining will finish. Already from now, they are partnering in a three-party relationship with indigenous communities and with the state to plan for the future transition of those communities in that land into something that lasts well beyond the operation of the mine. Here’s what’s really about this, because it gets to what Hindou was saying, this does not just see indigenous peoples as a stakeholder, it recognizes them as landowners, as economic agents and with rights. That’s the basis for the relationship that they’re forming around the gold mine to make sure that there is a sustainable economic benefit sharing agreement well past the life of the mine. And Demetrios, just one distinct example, I would say people really are keen to understand how to do this well. I would say comes from the Sullivan mine in Canada, where Teck Resources worked very hard with their indigenous partners through every state of the mine life to make sure that this community, which is today dependent on the mine, transitions to a community that’s much more linked to ecotourism in the area, including through things like a ski resort that Teck as a company has helped create. What’s also really nice is that they’ve been able to build a two-megawatt solar farm on the side of the land using the infrastructure from the gold mine, which is now providing both, energy, jobs, and access for the indigenous communities on whose lands that mining had taken place. So, Demetrios, a few really good examples that take the principles of UNDRIP and FPIC into practice, but as I said prior in my remarks, unfortunately, I cannot stand here and say to you that that is the norm. Some of these examples are the exception, and we have to work hard to make them the norm.
[Demetrios Papathanasiou]
Thank you very much, Rohitesh, again, Canada, Australia. I think it fits with what Hindou was saying earlier that you need a basis of strong legislation and recognition of indigenous peoples at the country level. I think the examples that you mentioned do have that. I wish that the next time we have a similar event, we can find examples where we can talk about this in the countries where we work in Africa, in Latin America. Hopefully, everyone who is participating in this meeting and in this conference can think about how we can do this more and more in our own countries. I just wanted to come back to you, Jennifer, and ask you, so we heard about Canada, Australia, and we know that mining will go ahead. In fact, Rohit has mentioned that we have almost 25,000 companies mining around the world, thousands of mines, and many more will be needed. If, indeed, there are good examples in Canada, in Australia, that we can point out of how indigenous people’s rights and the investments can work out together. The question I have is, do we have the right standards of how to do that? Is it possible to make sure that we have a clear way that we can apply across the world so that the mining can be done responsibly and sustainably? Especially, I think, one of the recurring themes, with our colleagues, we’re looking at a new project in Peru, where part of what the funding is going to be about is cleaning up the mess that was left from mines of a long time ago that were left there and still create problems in the environment. What do you feel about standards? What do you feel about what is it that can be done so we can have a common way forward?
[Jennifer Layke]
Yeah, well, thank you. I want to reflect that the mining industry is, of course, not monolithic, and there are very, very different levels of adherence to national standards, international standards, and best practices. I want to reflect that even though we have a much more robust conversation around mining and sustainability, water use has jumped 25%, waste has increased by 20% on a per volume basis in the mining sector as a whole. We’re actually not creating a more efficient mining industry. We are seeing no progress overall of land rehabilitation or curbing environmental damage. So, although the narrative is indeed shifting, many of the practices are not being standardized. So, it is very, very important that we have, we promulgate, we adopt standards, but the accountability, the transparency, and the requirements associated with the delivery of those standards is where we actually need to focus now. Curbing environmental damage, managing for water consumption, the discharge, the waste management, these are really significant opportunities for an improved and more durable mining sector. But we don’t have the incentives yet, which is why I point again to this need for a much-strengthened view of the landscape level planning in order to manage for site mitigation as well as the closure. Right now, we’ve got a long duration. I guess it’s taking somewhere between 10 and 15 years for most mines to go from siting to operation. That’s a tremendous opportunity to do planning right, if we really think about it carefully. I want to just end on one other area. We need the siting guidelines. We need the tools for siting, but we also need the buyers and the market to recognize and differentiate the performance. At the WRI Polsky Energy Center, large buyer demand is one of the six themes that we are going to be building out over this for the next few years. Part of the challenge is the traceability and the ability for the market to recognize and reward high performance. We need a race to the top. We don’t need the lowest economic cost, but those minerals today are not labeled, there is no ability to trace those. Until the market can recognize it, we will continue to see these kinds of inefficiencies in the mining sector.
[Demetrios Papathanasiou]
Thank you very much, Jennifer. I appreciate that at the end of the day, money talks and making sure that the buyers of metals and minerals can feel responsible in the way the whole supply chain has worked makes a lot of sense. Rohitesh, turning back to you, we talked about the importance of landscape planning, consulting with communities, making sure that they have a share of the benefits when operations start. We talked about the need to think about what happens when we close the mine, how can we restore the environment, how can we make sure that we take into account what Hindou mentioned as the seven generations to come. Do you have any views on how ICMM is thinking about this and what is a good practice? Why is this so important? How is this taken into account among your members?
[Rohitesh Dhawan]
Thanks, Demetrios. Just building of the last question you asked around standards, I fully agree with what Jennifer said and the premise of your question, which is that unless a large portion of those 25,000 companies are operating responsibly, then everything we’re talking about today will not become the norm, which means that people and the planet will continue to suffer. And so, our challenge has to be collectively, how do we make it the norm that responsible mining is the way things are done? Jennifer is right to say that currently customers don’t show and give a market signal that they’re willing to pay for a more responsibly produced mined product. I guess this is called green premiums. There is no green premium as it is right now for responsible production. If we don’t fix that problem, too many people will use the economic incentive to continue to produce in a less than responsible way. I think that’s unacceptable. At the same time, we do need a globally consistent framework, as you’re saying, Demetrios, that any mine producing any commodity anywhere in the world can follow to demonstrate that they are a responsible actor because on that basis, you can then do a green premium and you can do traceability. That does not exist today, but we hope within the next 12 months, one such standard will be available. We’re currently in a process to consolidate four of the most widely used voluntary standards of responsible mining: the ICMM principles, the World Gold Council, Mining Association of Canada and Copper mark. Between us, we have hundreds of mines and we’re bringing them together into a global system, which most importantly, will have an independent multi-stakeholder vote because this cannot and should not be controlled by the mining industry. It needs all parts of society to come together and have an equal say at the table for what is in the standard and how it is applied, and importantly, how there is governance around the application of that standard. So, the second public consultation on that will go live later this year. I encourage everybody to participate in that. by early next year, we hope that there is this global consolidated standard for responsible mining that can be used by any mine producing any commodity anywhere in the world. So, Demetrios, I think that is the piece of the puzzle that’s been missing, that hopefully we will now be able to have by next year. And then, you can really collectively up the pressure on everybody to say anything short of what a good practice under that standard is should be unacceptable over at the steady-state. People may need some time to come into that. I appreciate that because some operators are coming from a low base, but we have to set that global standard and then hold everybody accountable to it.
[Demetrios Papathanasiou]
Thank you very much, Rohitesh. So, our last question to the panel comes back to you, Hindou. I have to say I was really intrigued and found extremely interesting your approach that we need to find a way to make sure that indigenous peoples can be heard in the boards of the mining companies. Here’s a question. If you were in the board of a mining company and you were thinking and discussing about what would be a good way to think about how do we close down a mine and how to work with indigenous peoples on closing a mine properly, what is it that you would be insisting on in that case?
[Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim]
Firstly, I will insist on what Jennifer said earlier. A no-go zone is a no-go zone because indigenous peoples have indigenous peoples in voluntary isolations, we have a sacred area, and those places have a lot of minerals, but for us, it is a no-go zone. In any board, if it is no, it is no. You do not negotiate. You do not try to talk. You have just to understand. When they say no, it has to be clear. I think the second thing is we hear about many companies, many initiatives. They are all doing their best, of course, but they are doing it in silo, and this is not going to work. This is a big recommendation I’m giving to this room who have government representatives, who have financial people, people who are working with the UN, working with the community, who have my indigenous brothers and sisters here in the room. Let’s get out from this conference with a concrete next step that we need a global treaty that can help all the companies to take the responsibility on one. Those are designed by governments. So, governments are there. You have to really set up how the equity, justice, inclusiveness, transparency, accountability, to be in today, just transition critical minerals. And that has to be a concrete way. I don’t want to be a checking box of the opening panel, and I think you don’t want to be also. So, I hope that really will move us to a concrete step. Coming to, yes, after the mining, what we can do. We have to design and think about it before the mining because if you already damaged before coming and saying, “Okay, how we can treat it?” This is too late. You have to think about how you can restore it, how you can close it from the beginning. This is called preparation of the loss and damage. When you have losses, you have to pay the damage that you have
[done]
. We already have so many materials, and we need to think about that in a proper way, in an active way. For indigenous peoples, you come, you go, whatever, yes, it is still our home. It is still our territories. Even if it is sick, because you put the mineral there, it is our home. So, we need to take care about it. It is also the home of our knowledge because our knowledge is based on this area. So that’s why from the beginning, I do not allow them, if I’m in the board, to think about it after. Let me close by this. All what we are talking about is generating millions and billions. So, these millions and billions have to ensure a direct access finance for indigenous peoples from the beginning because we always think about seven generations. So, that can help us to think ahead for you. We are not asking this money as charity. We are asking for the right to really help clean the mess that... Sorry about the word, you are going to do in our land. So, we need this direct access finance to be shared, and we know the money is there, and we know we can manage this money as we are protecting the land, we are protecting the resources, we can manage this money. This has to be set up from the beginning, and then after all these minerals are extracted, we can be all happy, we are restoring it in a right way. That needs to happen. Indigenous people’s rights are not negotiable. It’s essential for the climate change solutions. I thank you.
[Applause]
[Demetrios Papathanasiou]
Thank you very much. Let me, again, thank you, Rohitesh, for connecting and for your keynote remarks, and your frankness, and your openness to discuss this with us. Jennifer, really appreciate your ideas and sharing the work that WRI has been doing, and we’re looking forward to continue to develop some of these things. We certainly have to find ways to break through into this premium pricing for metals and minerals that have been produced in the right way. Hindou, a big thanks to you for taking the big responsibility of being a voice for indigenous peoples. Thank you all very much in this panel.
[Applause]
[Demetrios Papathanasiou]
To close this event, let me invite at the podium our Vice President, Mr. Guang
[Guangzhe]
Chen, for his closing remarks. I’m sorry. I understand that we have another intervention in between, which is a recorded video from the UK’s Special Envoy on Nature. Let me get this right. It’s the UK’s representative, and I will find it in my notes for sure. Okay, so Ms. Ruth Davis, who is the UK Special Representative for Nature. Let’s play the video, please, and we can take off the stage.
[Ruth Davis]
I’m delighted to be able to make a few remarks at this opening session of the World Bank Land Conference today even if I cannot be with you in person. As the UK Government’s Special Representative on Nature, I recognize the critical role secure land and forest tenure rights play in protecting nature, in climate mitigation, and supporting the livelihoods of millions of people who depend on land and nature. In the coming decades, competition for land is expected to increase each year, driven by rising demand for food, land degradation, urban expansion, and infrastructure development. And so, the need for effective systems to govern access to land and clarify and protect all legitimate tenure rights will become ever more important. The UK is a proud sponsor of this conference because we recognize the scale and urgency of the challenge facing land systems. We need to use moments like this to support collaboration between communities, governments, and international organizations that can secure tenure rights and unlock investments and jobs. The UK’s Global Land Governance program aims to increase secure land and property rights for all, and ensure governance structures are more inclusive. Our Land Facility will support coordinated action between governments and donors, leveraging greater development assistance resistance on the land governance agenda. This conference has also particular significance as we look towards COP30 later this year in Brazil, with the opportunity of mobilizing new commitments on forest tenure rights, including a second global donor Forest Tenure Pledge. I wish you well in your discussions this week, and hope you can use these to develop a clear agenda in your own countries and globally to strengthen land governance, promote prosperity, and protect nature. Thank you.
[Applause]
[Demetrios Papathanasiou]
After this intervention from our key partners on land issues, let me now turn to our Vice President for Infrastructure, Mr. Guang Chen. Guang brings more than 30 years of experience with development, and he knows the opportunities and the challenges of doing land development right. So, Guang, for your inspiration to our colleagues as they move with the conference.
[Guangzhe Chen]
Thank you. Thank you, Demetrios.
[Applause]
[Guangzhe Chen]
A round of applause for our distinguished panelists for a very stimulating conversation, and of course, for your passionate appeal to the audience and to our partners. Also, welcome again for everyone joining us today, here or virtually for this Land Conference. I’m going to keep it brief before lunch. Just three key takeaways from this conversation that we had. First, I think we all recognize land system is essential to unlock jobs, unlock growth, and which is the mission of the World Bank Group, which is eradicate poverty, promote shared prosperity on a livable planet. Without a proper land management system, we cannot make that happen. Second, I think this panel has a lot of discussion on how land system can play a crucial role in scaling up energy access, addressing the need of critical minerals. We need urgent investment to secure land rights, avoid land disputes, and ensure landholders are benefiting from energy projects. Finally, land systems have to be strengthened to close the infrastructure gap. If we look at across the infrastructure sector, from energy to transport to water, all the measures that we have depend on better access to land. The conversation, this panel discussion, just to highlight this, one particular aspect on mining critical minerals and indigenous people’s rights, but the same principle can apply to almost every sector infrastructure. Think about building an access road across indigenous land. How do you manage the property rights of the people in that area? Think about the world needing to continue to grow food to meet the need of the population growth. How do you create that kind of space to continue for land developments and also in all phases of agriculture growth? This is why at the World Bank Group, we are investing something like close to 3 billion dollars in strengthening land systems in 31 countries, and we’ll continue to do more. Our land projects are securing existing land tenure, including for women, digitizing land system, facilitating resilient land use, and enabling access to land for infrastructures. But also, equally important in parallel, we are continuing to work hard to strengthen our knowledge platforms and facilitating experience sharing among our partners, our client governments. I think the Land Conference, which has been going on for 20 years, is the one important platform of these knowledge engagements. In closing, I just really want to thank our panelists, and also thank all of you for joining us today. I think working together, we can maximize the land sector’s contribution to all phases of infrastructure development and all growth and job creations, but it’s also equally important, I want to take this opportunity to thank our champion sponsors for the 2025 World Bank Land Conference. Without them, this would not have happened. These are the Government of United Kingdom, through the FCDO, the Flowing Commonwealth and Development Office, and the Government of Canada, through the Global Affairs Canada. I also want to thank our other event sponsors, namely, PROGREEN, the German Federal Ministry of Economic Corporation and Development, GIZ, the Government of Netherlands, the government of the Republic of Korea, the Admiral Real Estate Solutions, Landesa, and Leica Geosystems. I think together with our partners, we have organized a very exciting agenda in the coming two and a half days, and also for our future engagements in this 2025 World Bank Land Conference. We look forward to engage with all of you, and enjoy your stay in Washington for those who travelled here. We look forward for our continued partnership. Thank you very much.
[Applause]
[Guangzhe Chen]
Thank you.
