67982 EAST ASIA AND PACIFIC REGION Social Development Notes I N N O V ATI O N S , LE S S O N S , A N D B E ST P R A CTI C E Engendering Mines in Development A Promising Approach from Papua New Guinea Strategic Context Papua New Guinea (PNG) is a culturally diverse, environmentally rich country with over five million inhabitants, the majority of whom live on the eastern half of the rugged and mountainous island of New Guinea, the rest scattered among tropical archipelagos in the Bismark and Solomon seas. PNG’s natural beauty hides a legacy of poverty and dependence on natural resources, especially mining operations: there are currently six working mines in PNG, five on the main island in rural, mountainous, and unimaginably remote locations. The sixth operating mine, and the only closed mine in the country - are situated on the small islands of Lihir and Misima. Given that PNG’s mines—and all mines The World Bank’s Mining Technical globally—have a limited operating life, fu- Assistance Projects (MTAPs) initiated and ture prospects people living in their midst seems tenuous and uncertain. Long-term supported a Women in Mining Initiative strategic planning for community devel- opment is critical to sustaining local liveli- that empowers women in the mining hoods, opportunity and equity. Attending to communities and strengthens the Bank’s local needs also includes a careful consider- ation for women and men’s roles in society. development agenda to improve the Gender relations within PNG’s communi- social and economic status of women ties are largely based on tribal cultures and traditions; hundreds of distinct ethno-lin- across the region. guistic communities weave into the fabric of PNG society. Women’s socio-economic roles are at a juncture: tradition can be a source of opportunity, prestige and status or can restrict opportunities for self-empowerment. Industrial development through mining has brought rapid change to PNG- many of the social effects remain under-evaluated. Examin- ing women’s roles—how they have changed as a result of mining—as well as how they will GAP funded gender equality as smart economics A World Bank Group Gender Action Plan 2 East asia and Pacific REgion — social dEvEloPmEnt notEs change through the future life of the mine must (WIM) in PNG in 2003.1 The 2003 Conference re- be an integral component of an effective devel- sulted in a Vision Statement for addressing gen- opment approach to the country. Consequently, der issues in the mining areas and commitment of improving an understanding of women’s roles all relevant participants to action that would lead and empowering women at the community and to social and economic empowerment of women national levels is the central goal of the Women in in the mining areas. Mining Initiative. The success and enthusiasm surrounding the 2003 conference encouraged participants to organize a Background follow-up WIM conference in 2005.2 Discussions Women in Papua New Guinea’s mining areas of- at the second conference identified a need for ten face discrimination, economic deprivation greater government support to support women and domestic violence. Their traditional social at the local level. In response, the Government roles can be eroded or upended with the arrival of PNG established a WIM Steering Committee of mining operations. A 2002 Mining Technical that leveraged the advice of women in strategic Assistance Project conference on “Community positions from the Departments of Mining, Plan- and Sustainable Development� identified many ning, Agriculture, Community Development, En- challenges women experience living and working vironment and Attorney General’s office. near mines. It mobilized the Government of PNG, mining companies and international donors. The In 2006, the first Mining Technical Assistance lack of attention to gender issues in mining oper- Project (MTAP1) facilitated visits by the Women ations sounded a clarion call for action, and led to in Mining Technical Team to women’s associations an international conference on Women in Mining active within six mine sites in PNG. These meet- ings directly assisted the mission team to develop tailored, locally specific Women in Mining Ac- tion Plans for each mining community. The 2007- Women in Mining Action Plan 2007–2012 2010 WIM Action Plan, a milestone strategy for gender-based social inclusion, reflects a coherent, VISION integrated and participatory approach adopted by “A future of peace and prosperity resulting from improved quality of life women who are directly affected by mining, and and level of living where the quality of life is reflected in the extent to creates a platform for affirmative action. which women are able to make choices on issues affecting their lives and having the means to put these choices into actions.� These efforts helped to create a strategic focus on GOALS Women in Mining as a national effort in PNG, 1. To raise the level of general education and literacy to improve the sta- and were subsequently reflected in the second tus of women World Bank Mining Sector Technical Assistance 2. To ensure reproductive health care services, including family planning Project (MTAP2). The MTAP2 builds from an are accessible, affordable and consistent with community values and incremental approach towards enabling gender norms. equity within and across the mining sector. The 3. To prevent or control the incidents of tuberculosis (TB)/sexually trans- Women in Mining Initiative also drew on a Japa- mitted infections (STIs), particularly HIV/AIDS and to minimize their nese Social Development Fund (JSDF) grant on social and economic effects on families and communities Self-reliance programs for women in mining ar- 4. To increase the opportunities for women and girls to participate and benefit from the economic, political, cultural and social lives of their communities 1 180 people attended the event in Madang, PNG including 5. To strengthen women’s associations capacity to operate beyond mine twenty men and ten international participants from Romania, closure India, Ghana, Guinea, Philippines, Indonesia, South Africa, 6. To ensure that communities are able to sustain their livelihoods Australia, Zambia, and a representative of the Navajo group 7. To mitigate and avoid environmental degradation that reduced the in US. 2 150 participants attended the event also in Madang, PNG, quality of life. including international participants from Poland, Pakistan, 8. To promote and maintain safety, security and peace in their communities. Fiji, India, South Africa, and Australia, and a group of women from PNG petroleum areas. i n n ovat i o n s, l E s s o n s, a n d B E s t P R a c t i c E 3 eas, which was implemented by the PNG Cham- Women in Mining: ber of Mines and Petroleum. From Concept to Implementation: A series of Women in Mining conferences dem- onstrated that the inclusion of women’s’ voices Laying a Foundation for and perspectives from impacted communities Gender Equality would encourage sustainable outputs from ex- Mining Creates a Gender ‘Vacuum’ tractive industries. This led to the strategic ex- The first Mining Technical Assistance Project pansion of sustainable mining development as a was designed to capitalize on recent attention to concept that inherently includes ‘women in min- the importance of community collaboration be- ing’ as a critical sub component with high level of tween companies, countries and local peoples. ownership from the government. The methodol- Increased communication and discussion with ogy for the important need to address women in people affected by mining operations helped to terms of mining was developed in close collabo- define key areas of economic need and novel ways ration between the Papua New Guinea’s Depart- to support long-term social benefits. However, ment of Mining and the Bank. given that male landowners tended to dominate community engagements with mining companies After clearly identifying the key need to consider and consultations with government officials, the gender in mining activities, the project increased gender dimensions of mining were not appropri- engagement with mine affected communities with ately understand As the evidence demonstrated, a stronger focus on the unique roles men and women were often sidelined, their voices muted. women play in local contexts. For instance, it soon Something had to change. became apparent that mining in PNG is a primar- FigurE 1 Accelerating Towards gender Equality in PNg Mining Areas Result: Women in Mining International Conferences The Bank led institutionalized “Women in Mining� Five Years Action activities built a Plan 2007–2012 for strong constituency Women in Mining of support within endorsed and Towards the government nanced by Empowerment: and women’s GoPNG MTAP2 development groups in PNG objective endorses women in mining as its primary Beginnings: stakeholder MTAP1 focus on WIM produces a White Paper on Sustainable Mining Development Policy that promotes gender equity in social bene ts 4 East asia and Pacific REgion — social dEvEloPmEnt notEs ily male-dominated industry and those men of- the economic changes introduced by mining. The ten benefit disproportionately over women once infusion of cash in livelihoods has contributed to mining operations begin in a particular commu- high levels of alcoholism and domestic violence, nity. Households suffer as women become solely often leading to broken families and reduced so- dependent on men for livelihoods. Wherever new cio-economic status for women. mining operations were established, men typically benefitted more from an increase in employment opportunities. Traditional economic and social Establishing Milestones to roles—in which women are highly independent— Highlight the Gender Dimensions were subverted as men became the only bread- of Mining Operations winners. In areas which had traditionally been Speaking with women during community con- matriarchal, women’s prestige was undermined by sultations highlighted that men take a dispropor- tionately large share of the mining project ben- efits, especially in terms of employment options TAblE 1 Profile of gender Dimensions across selected and compensation, while the bulk of social and mines in Papua New guinea environmental risks fall upon women and chil- Women’s dren- who become increasingly unable to repre- Association? sent themselves. The project team, in coordina- Mine Region Communities Type Y/N tion with senior government officials (including a number of women), leveraged these findings Tolukuma Goilala, Hameng, Patrilineal, Yes Gold Mine Central Yaulo and male financial to increase the participation of key stakeholders Province Yangam descision- to endorsement and commitment to a series of (“Yulai making gender-sensitive actions in mining areas: landowners�) Ok Tedi Star Tabubil, Patrilineal, Yes n A women’s Officer was appointed by each Mountains, Kiunga, North male of the largest mining companies to be re- North Fly Fly villages, landowners sponsible for women’s issues both within District, (Faiwol, Awin, and leaders the company and across communities im- Western Yongom, Pare pacted by the mining operation; Province language n A White Paper on Sustainable Mining De- communities) velopment Policy was developed, leading Porgera Enga Patrilineal, Yes to a Memorandum of Agreement (MoAs) Province male at the Kainantu and Morobe Gold projects inheritance to include : improved gender equity in Hamata/ Bulolo Nauti clan, Unknown No benefits management; inclusion of women Hidden Disctrict, (Watut LLG), in project approval processes and separate Valley Morobe Winima and budget allocations for women’s activities in Province Kuembu (Biangai Tribe, the communities; Wau Rural n A five-year Women in Mining (WIM) ac- LLG) tion plan for 2007-2012 was generated with inputs from women’s associations in each Lihir Gold Niolam, Lihirian Matrilineal, Yes Mine Masahet, (7,100) women play mining community. The action plans illus- Mahur and important trated grass roots activity, cooperation be- Malie islands roles tween different government departments and consultation with affected groups; and Kainantu Bilimoia, Agarabi, Varied Yes Gold Mine Ramu Valley Kasup, n Women’s Associations identified underap- Kamano preciated social issues that arise from min- speaking ing operations, and started to address them communities in a more organized way, while receiving (40,000) support and capacity building through dif- Source: Women in Mining Action Plan, 2007–2012, Annexes. Government of Papua New Guinea ferent programs i n n ovat i o n s, l E s s o n s, a n d B E s t P R a c t i c E 5 The Five Year Action Plan for Women in the Min- opment will reduce burdens on women and con- ing Areas was approved by the NEC in Decem- tribute towards increased female empowerment. ber 2009. Endorsement of these activities dem- onstrates an increasing recognition of the value Establishing Gender Sensitive added by women in mining to the country’s over- Knowledge and Legal Modules all development agenda. MTAP2 has improved the importance of gender by establishing a platform for other projects -such as a “Justice for the Poor� initiative- to engage on Advancing Papua New knowledge-sharing and legal issues which are key Guinea’s Gender and to advancing the women’s empowerment agenda. Development Foundation Specific-activities have included: Ensuring that Women in Mining are Primary Stakeholders: The second Mining Technical As- n Establishing a Mineral Resources Author- sistance Project (MTAP2) has built on the suc- ity web site and overseeing the publication cesses of MTAP1 and the Japanese Social Devel- of key documents in both English and opment Fund’s support in promoting national Melanesian Pidgin to improve access to level changes that support gender equality in sector information, particularly among Papua New Guinea. MTAP2 focuses on women women, who are often limited in their in- in mining as primary stakeholders, and works to formation access. expand the economic and social empowerment n Developing a legal mechanism at the lo- of women across the country. cal and national levels to redress griev- ances. At the local level, villagers bring Championing Women’s complaints and disputes to either village Economic Empowerment level court proceedings or, in the case of The project supports a small grants program to mining-license related issues, to mining champion women’s economic empowerment warden’s hearings, which take place at across selected communities. It also covers new local sites. sites that were not previously included in the preparation of the National WIM Action Plan, Both processes are well regarded for addressing and in locations where the funds for women’s mining grievances in a gender responsive and ef- activities are limited, as well as in communities fective manner -perceived as largely independent where oil and gas is actively harvested. of political influence and corruption. The program has also leveraged key trust funds Supporting Women’s Unions as and European Union grants. For instance the Promoters of Peace Japanese Social Development Fund (JSDF) imple- The project supported women’s associations as mented training programs, outreach initiatives promoters of peace and conflict resolution at lo- and capacity building for women’s association cal and national levels. Their visibility as media- and groups, and the European Union (EU) fund- tors has encouraged the project to expanded co- ed the construction of small scale mining train- operation, most recently reflected in a SPF Grant ing centers and women’s community centers, and that will support a capacity building program for supported a holistic approach to the sustainable women in Bougainville. development of Artisanal and Small-scale Mining (ASM) communities. Monitoring the Gender Results The Project has established indicators within the Donor-supported activities and the Mining Tech- results framework to identify baseline female nical Assistance Projects have steadily increased participation rates in generating community de- support for community livelihoods, education, velopment plans and monitoring service delivery. health, environment and social issues associated The results framework also provides a module with small-scale mining. All of these issues have to gauge satisfaction in terms of the quality and strong gender implications; their positive devel- timeliness of different social programs. 6 East asia and Pacific REgion — social dEvEloPmEnt notEs Highlights n Shared interests among various donors promote on-the-ground impact of gov- Based on its successes thus far, continued MTAP2 ernment-supported social programs and support for full implementation of the WIM Action Plan, in cooperation with national and service delivery, which will in turn contrib- grass-root counterparts, can lead to significant ute towards long-lasting improvements in improvements in gender equality and empower- women’s empowerment. ment in PNG’s mining sector. Further Reading Innovation 1. PNG - Second Mining Sector Institutional The project demonstrates innovation of how Strengthening Technical Assistance Project sector-wide operations can be effective to scale (P102396) Project Appraisal Document up empowerment of women, helping to secure 2. Mining Sector Institutional Strengthening them a vocal role in the nation’s development Technical Assistance Project (ICR) June 2007 agenda. In this context, the project has success- 3. Gender Dimensions of Extractive Industries: fully established networks for women in mining August 2009: Adriana Eftimie, Katherine Hell- and linked them with women’s associations and er and John Strongman group’s efforts at the local level to address health, 4. Mainstreaming Gender into Extractive Indus- education, environment and social issues. . It also tries Project (Guidance Notes for Task Team build the capacity of local women’s associations, Leaders): August 2009: Adriana Eftimie, Kath- and have given them a greater voice with male erine Heller and John Strongman community leaders and local governments and 5. Women in Mining – National Action Plan helped mining companies community programs 2007-2012: June 2007: Department of Mining to be more effectively with improved outcomes. PNG 6. Women in Mining Conference, Madang : PNG: August 2003 and June 2005 Sustainability n Implementation of the Women in Mining Action Plans is grounded in a strong country Contacts commitment at all levels, with significant Adriana Eftimie, Mining Specialist/Gender Co- support from women’s civil society groups. ordinator: COCPO : 202 458 5394