BACKGROUND BRIEF

This background brief outlines the mission and strategic framework of the International Institute for Sustainable Development's (IISD) Mining and Sustainable Development Initiative. The initiative aims to ensure mining contributes to inclusive growth and social development without compromising the environment by shifting the focus of mining agreements from narrow fiscal benefits to a broader range of economic and social expenditures.

• IISD argues that traditional mining negotiations are too narrow, focusing on a small portion of a company's expenditures. While governments typically focus on taxes and dividends—representing approximately 12% to 20% of the 'pie'—sustainable development requires expanding the scope to include company expenditures on employment and supplies of goods and services, which would bring 86% of expenditures into the conversation.
• The initiative promotes a view of the environment as a 'non-compromisable asset' rather than a factor to be balanced against social and economic development. IISD proposes a twofold environmental approach: reducing and eliminating negative impacts during exploration and exploitation, and reversing or mitigating all impacts during the post-closure phase.
• IISD is developing an integrated toolkit and model to optimize the value of mining investments. This model differs from predominant ones by including direct payments to government alongside potential benefits from downstream economic benefits and spending on purchasing and employment.
• The Mining Initiative's implementation strategy consists of three interconnected components: applied research, training, and capacity provision. Applied research includes testing methodologies in contexts such as the Canadian North and Africa, with a goal of 6–10 studies in the first two years.
• IISD provides training and capacity services specifically for developing countries, including the creation of a mining contract negotiation handbook and the development of mining laws, fiscal instruments, and Environmental Social Impact Assessment processes.

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} }