Gender and Mining Symposium in Papua New Guinea

Source: PNG Mine Watch

IM4DC, in collaboration with The University of Queensland (UQ) and The University of Papua New Guinea (UPNG) recently presented a gender and mining symposium and workshop in Papua New Guinea (PNG).

Held over two-days in early August 2014 at the UPNG Campus in Port Moresby, the event brought together staff and students from UPNG, women working in the extractives industries, and other stakeholders in government and business.

The aim of the symposium was to raise awareness and understanding of how mining intersects with the lives of women, both in communities where mining takes place, and as it relates to women employed in the mining industry.

The program was designed to be inclusive, with a range of guest speakers from Australia and PNG presenting case studies and chairing roundtable discussions and workshops, where participants discussed and planned strategies for the improvement of the engagement of women with mine projects, based largely on current and future project experiences.

Presentations were given by a range of speakers including UPNG academic staff, community members from select regions including Bougainville, Lihir, Ok Tedi and the Gulf Province, and representatives from some of the major mining companies in PNG, including Barrick Gold and Newcrest Mining.

The symposium presented new research on gender and the extractives industries, heard from those experiencing challenges on the ground, and discussed new projects and ways forward.

A team from The University of Queensland, led by Dr Kirsty Gillespie from the Centre for Social Responsibility in Mining (CSRM) at the Sustainable Minerals Institute (SMI) travelled to PNG for the event, alongside IM4DC representative Prue Fleming.

The symposium was part of university partnership activities between SMI and UPNG’s School of Humanitarian and Social Sciences.

More than 100 people participated and the event was covered by PNG’s national television channel EM TV.