GPPi conducts MMSD paper review workshop

On December 13, GPPi held a small paper review workshop in the context of its ongoing MMSD History Project. The purpose of the workshop was to offer comments on the first draft of a personal history paper on the proceedings of the Mining, Minerals and Sustainable Development (MMSD) Project, written by Luke Danielson (former MMSD Project Director) and Caroline Digby (former MMSD Research Director) and commissioned by GPPi. The MMSD Project was conducted between July 1999 and September 2002 and hosted by the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED).

During the workshop, the two authors presented their draft paper and discussed it with experts from industry, labor, civil society, and academia. Participants included, among others, Kathryn McPhail from the International Council on Mining and Metals (ICMM); Reg Green from the International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers’ Unions (ICEM), Anke Hassel from the Hertie School of Governance, and Camilla Toulmin from IIED.

Workshop participants discussed the general outline of the draft paper and its key findings. In addition, the discussion also extended to a more comparative assessment of the MMSD Project, relating it to other multi-stakeholder policy dialogues such as the World Commission on Dams or the Pangue Review. A revised version of the MMSD History paper that will incorporate comments from workshop participants will be circulated in late January 2006 to a carefully selected group of representatives from industry, labor, civil society and academia for peer review. The paper is due to be finalized in late February 2006 and will be published by GPPi. The paper will provide a first stepping stone to a more systematic comparative assessment of the MMSD project.

GPPi acknowledges generous financial support from the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) and the International Council on Mining and Metals (ICMM) for its MMSD History Project.