A pioneering initiative in Chile will be launched this Tuesday, October 25, with the support of the OECD, the Regional Government and the UCN.
Communications UCN.- With a marked emphasis on sustainability, environmental care and the link between communities and productive sectors, the start of the pioneering work for the development of a regional mining strategy in Antofagasta 2023-2050 was presented, whose official launch will take place this Tuesday October 25.
Authorities in the area, headed by the regional governor, Ricardo Díaz, gave the go to a historic initiative in Chile, which has the support of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD); the Regional Government; and the Universidad Católica del Norte (UCN), through its Institute of Public Policies (IPP-UCN); plus the contribution and collaboration of the private sector and representatives of civil society in the area.
The day marks the formal starting point of a study that will last one year and that during this week will bring together different sectors to share experiences, challenges, discuss priorities and deliver their vision on the future of mining and its contribution in areas such as diversification, environment and improvement of the quality of life of the population.
During the presentation, Governor Díaz indicated that the idea is to “generate a dialogue between peers”, in which a territorial planning design can be implemented with which large-scale mining can support regional development.
He added that it is sought that mining contributes to generating a portfolio of projects that gather citizen sentiment, that allows increasing regional employment and moving towards a new deal with the communities, with a greener and more responsible mining. “We are the region that exports the most in terms of mining and we have a whole potential for development,” she specified.
The authority emphasized that much of the wealth produced in the region does not stay in the area, and that the communities have not had the development they expected. “As a regional government, what we want is to generate a broad and participatory conversation, where all of us who are part of this region – civil society, environmental movements, large mining companies and academia – sit down to talk and design what it is the future we want for this region; and that we talk about it openly, without fear, to generate an environment of dialogue, understanding and a lot of sincerity, so that we can build a long-term regional strategy”, he maintained, along with indicating that the results of this work will be visible in a document that it can be channeled and carried forward among all.
OECD-UCN CONTRIBUTION
During the week, the day will include a series of meetings and the participation of specialists from different sectors, who will present and make various contributions. Among the entities that will take part in the meetings, the OECD stands out, which will contribute with its experience at a global level.
In this context, the political analyst at the Center for Entrepreneurship, SMEs, Regions and Cities of the OECD, Andrés Sanabria, pointed out that mining has become increasingly important at the international level. “Today we have calculated that an electric vehicle requires five times more minerals than a normal vehicle. And that for Antofagasta in particular, is a great potential”.
He emphasized that mining activity produces a lot of wealth, but that it also generates effects and impacts that are not the most desired. “This regional strategy that we want to do, we hope will collaborate on a roadmap. The idea is to be able to sit the different actors at the table, which has legitimacy, clear objectives, and to be able together to prepare a common vision of development”, she specified.
To the above, the director of the IPP-UCN, Cristian Rodríguez, added that in this task the contribution of the academy and the universities will be fundamental. He recalled that the region is of strategic importance to the world, as it is the main producer of copper and lithium, critical minerals for the green and economic transition.
In that sense, he stated that the area has a pending challenge in terms of how to link that wealth and abundance with the improvement of the well-being and quality of life of the communities that inhabit the area. “It is what we are going to work on for a year, and this is a week in which we are going to kick off that work to develop the mining strategy for the Antofagasta region,” he emphasized.
COMMUNITIES
The value of the communities in this new relationship with mining was also highlighted by Dawn Madahbee Leach, president of the National Indigenous Economic Development Board of Canada. “It is very important that the communities are involved from the beginning in this type of strategy, in planning, in the supply chain; involved in decision-making, and at the highest levels and who are part of the board of directors”.
He also stressed that the communities must be involved in all phases of the mining activity process, and that they are also committed to creating a legacy after the mines reach the end and closure of their activities, and that they also have the opportunity to get involved. on issues related to education.
The Regional Ministerial Secretary for Mining, Macarena Barramuño, highlighted that the activity, which will last throughout the week, is essential for the region and especially for the planning of development policies.
“This strategy allows us to move towards sustainable development, a diversification of our economy and our productive matrix,” he said, along with adding that in this way green, 4.0 and sustainable mining is strengthened, where the study will allow us to understand what are the steps to be taken towards the future.
Finally, Gabriela Gómez, head of the Division of Productive Development and Innovation of the Regional Government, underlined the contribution that having a regional strategy that allows channeling the current mining that we know towards green mining in the short term will mean. “All this will be hand in hand with science and technology that will generate new economic sectors that will directly benefit people’s quality of life,” she said.
