Mining can be a major driver of development in poor countries – ICMM – by Marleny Arnoldi (MiningWeekly.com – July 10, 2018)

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The lives of people living in countries whose economies are dependent on mining have, on average, improved faster than those of people in other countries over the past 20 years, a report by the International Council of Mining and Metals (ICMM) has found.

The ‘Social progress in mining-dependent countries’ report, which was published on Tuesday, uses the lens of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to determine social progress in mining-dependent countries and finds that most of those countries have significantly improved their social performance over the 20 years leading up to the launch of the goals in 2015.

People in the 25 countries that are considered mining-dependent are now generally healthier, better educated and enjoy improved access to affordable and clean energy, water and sanitation. They also enjoy access to telecommunications and financial services, ICMM says.

The report showed that people living in these countries are better off in absolute terms and that they outperform countries that are not resource dependent.

“ICMM’s experience is that, when we mine with principles, our industry can be a major development driver in some of the world’s poorest countries,” commented ICMM COO Aidan Davy.

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