Neglected minerals

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• Franks (2015) What has salt got to do with development?
• Franks (2016) Which minerals will pave Africa's development?
• Torres et al. (2017) A Looming Tragedy of the Sand Commons. Science 357 (6355), 970-971.
• UNEP (2014) Sand: Rarer Than One Thinks. UNEP Global Environment Alert Services, March 2014.

Sand and gravel may not be as glamorous as diamonds or gold, but these ‘neglected’ development minerals are crucial industrial materials and are, in fact, the most mined commodities in the world. Despite being low-value, ‘neglected’ minerals thus have enormous potential to contribute to economic growth in developing countries, while avoiding the high levels of conflict that have historically plagued high-value mining industries such as diamonds. Yet large-scale extraction of sand, gravel, and other low-value minerals can also have pernicious environmental effects, or lead to the formation of ‘sand cartels’. How can low-value mineral mining remain low-conflict while contributing to larger development goals?

Keynote Daniel Franks is Chief Technical Advisor and Programme Manager at the United Nations Development Programme where he leads the ACP-EU Development Minerals Programme. Dr. Franks is the author of more than 80 publications including his recently published book Mountain Movers: Mining, sustainability and the agents of change. Dr. Franks serves as Co-Chair for Social Impact Assessment at the International Association for Impact Assessment. Prior to joining UNDP he was Deputy Director of the Centre for Social Responsibility in Mining at the Sustainable Minerals Institute, The University of Queensland, Australia and was an active part of the International Mining for Development Centre. More about Daniel Franks.

Discussant Charlotte Christiaens (CATAPA) has a Master's degree in Social and Cultural Anthropology. She has been working for CATAPA since 2007, first on a voluntary basis, and as a staff member since 2011, as the Coordinator of CATAPA.  She has done research on the impact of open pit mining on local communities in Latin America (in Bolivia, Peru, Guatemala and Colombia), and also in Greece. She also did research on fair trade artisanal small-scale mines in Peru. She just came back doing research in Colombia on the impact of open pit mines on local communities in Tolima.

Moderator Sara Geenen is a lecturer in International Development, Globalization and Poverty at the Institute of Development Policy - University of Antwerp. She is also co-director of ECA - CREAC (Expertise Center for Central Africa) and project leader of the Centre d’Expertise en Gestion Minière (CEGEMI) at the Université Catholique de Bukavu, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Her research interests lie in the global and local development dimensions of extractivist projects, addressing questions about more socially responsible and inclusive forms of globalization. She looks at global regulatory systems and development outcomes in the South, 'linkages' and local spillovers from mining activities, and labour markets in extractive industries. More about Sara Geenen.

Tuesday 5 December ​2017
From 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.
University of Antwerp - City Campus  
Rodestraat 14 - R.014 - 2000 Antwerpen (how to reach the city campus?)

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