The Canadian Embassy in Burkina Faso, in collaboration with the Ministry of Energy, Mines and Quarries, IAMGOLD Essakane SA and the Chamber of Mines, organised an information workshop on the Voluntary Principles, Security and Human Rights on 28 September 2023. The workshop was held as part of the West African Mining Week (Semaine des Activités minières d’Afrique de l’ouest – SAMAO), which runs from 28 to 30 September 2023.
The mining industry is an essential economic activity in Burkina Faso, now and in the future. As a result, the human, economic and security stakes are considerable. This is where the Voluntary Principles on Security come in. These Principles are a multi-stakeholder initiative whose guidelines help stakeholders in the mining, oil and gas sectors to anticipate and mitigate risks. These so that their activities can be carried out without violating human rights or using excessive force. According to Lee-Anne Hermann, Canada’s ambassador to Burkina Faso, these principles do not impose a single way of doing things, but propose experiences and tools that will enable stakeholders to work together to meet their own challenges.
Respect for human rights at the heart of the voluntary principles
The Voluntary Principles are also principles of consultation. They are about creating value while respecting human rights and human values. According to the Minister of Mines, Simon-Pierre Boussim, the aim of this workshop is to enable the parties involved in Burkina Faso’s mining industry to focus on risk management in terms of safety and respect for human rights in mining activities. According to Minister Boussim, the Voluntary Principles are good practices that facilitate human relations and should be shared and disseminated. “This is an opportunity to see how the Voluntary Principles can be used as tools in mining practices in the light of security challenges”, he said. In this respect, the ambassador pointed out that Canadian companies operating abroad respect human rights. These Canadian companies must comply with applicable laws, adopt and even exceed standards and guidelines for responsible business conduct, and demonstrate transparency,” she added. They must also cooperate with the governments and communities of the host country and act in a socially and environmentally responsible manner.
“This meeting is an opportunity for stakeholders in Burkina Faso’s mining industry from government departments, mining companies, international organisations and civil society organisations to share their experiences, views and best practices in securing mining assets”, said Lee-Anne Hermann. It was therefore with great interest that the Burkina Faso Chamber of Mines took an interest in the issue. Souleymane Boly, vice-president of the CMBF, said that the Chamber is working to ensure that all mining companies in Burkina Faso adhere to these voluntary principles, so that they can work more effectively with the defence and security forces and local communities. “The aim is to use this mechanism to ensure respect for human rights, the rights of communities and the right to life”, he stressed.
An opportunity to share experience
It should be noted that this information workshop was organised as a panel followed by discussions. The aim was to enable the various stakeholders in Burkina Faso’s mining industry to share their experiences and best practices in securing mining assets in a safe environment, while ensuring respect for human rights. The Canadian ambassador thanked the panelists for sharing their rich and diverse experiences. They were the Secretariat of the Voluntary Principles Initiative, IAMGOLD Essakane, the National Human Rights Commission (Commission nationale des droits de l’homme – CNDH), the National Office for Securing Mining Sites (Office national de sécurisation des site miniers – ONASSIM) and Search for Common Ground (SFCG).
As a reminder, the 5th edition of the West African Mining Week (SAMAO) began on Thursday 28 September 2023 and ends on Saturday. The theme of the event is: “Mining in Africa: what strategy for impacting the development of local economies?”
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