BACKGROUND BRIEF

The IISD Mining and Sustainable Development Initiative seeks to shift the focus of mining investments from narrow fiscal benefits for governments to a broader 'win-win-win' model involving companies, governments, and communities. The initiative focuses on maximizing both fiscal and non-fiscal economic benefits—such as employment and local procurement—while treating the environment as a non-compromisable asset. To achieve this, IISD is developing an integrated toolkit and methodology for assessing project value, providing legal training on contract negotiations, and offering capacity-building services to developing countries.

• Traditional mining negotiations have focused on a small portion of a project's economic value, specifically company taxes and dividends, which represent approximately 12% to 20% of the total expenditure pie.
• IISD argues for a transition toward a model where 86% of a mining company's expenditures—including supplies of goods, services, and employment—become the subject of consideration for governments, companies, and communities based on shared-value approaches.
• The initiative posits that the environment should be viewed as a 'non-compromisable asset' rather than a factor to be balanced against social and economic development, as cumulative compromises have pushed climate, water, and species systems to the brink.
• IISD is developing a first-of-its-kind integrated model for forward planning in mine investments that includes direct payments to government, benefits from employment and purchasing, and downstream economic benefits.
• The initiative's implementation strategy consists of three components: applied research to develop and test the value-optimization methodology, training for developing countries on contract negotiations and law frameworks, and direct capacity provision for mining laws and Environmental Social Impact Assessment processes.
• IISD intends to test its methodology in specific contexts, including Africa and the Canadian North, aiming for 6 to 10 studies within the first two years of the initiative.

APA

International Institute for Sustainable Development (2014). BACKGROUND BRIEF. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/iisd-mining-sustainable-development-initiative.pdf

Chicago

International Institute for Sustainable Development. BACKGROUND BRIEF. 2014. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/iisd-mining-sustainable-development-initiative.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=International Institute for Sustainable Development |title=BACKGROUND BRIEF |date=2014 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/iisd-mining-sustainable-development-initiative.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{internationalinstituteforsustainabledevelopment2014background, author = {{International Institute for Sustainable Development}}, title = {{BACKGROUND BRIEF}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2014}, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/iisd-mining-sustainable-development-initiative.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }