Mining for Closure: Policies, practises and guidelines for sustainable mining and closure of mines

2.

Welcomes and endorses the report “Mining for Clo- sure: policies, practices and guidelines for sustainable mining and closure of mines in South Eastern Europe and the Tisza River Basin” as a guide and checklist for reducing and mitigating the environmental, health and security risks from mining practices, Welcomes and endorses the outcome of the discus- sions on a priority programme for assessing and ad- dressing environmental, health and security risks in South Eastern Europe and the Tisza River Basin, in particular; the need for Governments, in coordination and sup- ported by the European Commission, the Environ- ment and Security Initiative, and other stakeholders concerned to establish and take action on a selected number of priority mining hot spots in South East- ern Europe and the Tisza River Basin, the need for governments, supported by the Envi- ronment and Security initiative and other potential partners, including the European Union, in address- ing mining to focus on: improvement of the desk study by incorporat- ing local information, capacity building for national agencies in as- sessment, permitting and enforcement, clean-up projects that involve community de- velopment outcomes, strengthen existing and establish additional transboundary networks for emergency pre- paredness, investigation and testing out of innovative ap- proaches to mining legacy issues, improved mechanisms for sharing informa- tion and experience in the region, with special attention to the local communities. Encourages the involved governments to review minerals investment regulations and environmental control procedures so as to encourage best practice • • • • • •

mining operations, and cost-effective clean up of hot spots and orphaned sites.

Recommends further that the “Mining for Closure” guide and checklist, as well as a shorter popular ver- sion in the languages of the region, be published and distributed widely, for use by policy makers and other stakeholders alike, Requests Governments, the UNEP-UNDP-OSCE- NATO Environment and Security Initiative, the European Commission, relevant civil society or- ganizations and the private sector, to intensify and strengthen their collaboration and support to poli- cies, programmes and projects for reducing and preventing environmental, health, social, cultural, economic and security risks frommining operations and legacies in South Eastern Europe and the Tisza River Basin, Further proposals that consultations take place be- tween interested governments and the international partners, including EC, to select and address a limit- ed number of hot spots, as pilot projects for improv- ing the social, environmental and trans-boundary aspects of mining practices. Requests Governments and the private sector to ensure public participation in decision-making and access to information, in particular of communities, civil society organizations and the general public concerned, and to recognize the rights of communi- ties to maintain community stability, cultural values and traditions, and obtain material and social ben- efits from the mining development, Expresses its gratitude and appreciation to the Ministry of the Environment and Water Management from Romania for hosting the Conference on “Reducing Environment and Security Risks from Mining in South Eastern Europe and the Tisza River Basin”. 5. 6. 7. 8.

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Done at Cluj-Napoca, Romania, on 13 May 2005.

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MINING FOR CLOSURE