Extractives Global Programmatic Support (EGPS)

World Bank Vice President for Infrastructure, Mr. Guangzhe Chen, and the Executive Director for Japan at the World Bank, Mr. Hideaki Imamura, today signed an administration arrangement outlining the terms and conditions to implement the Resilient and Inclusive Supply-chain Enhancement (RISE) Partnership, which was officially launched in October 2023.

The 2023 State of the Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining Sector report, a collaboration with the international development organization Pact, details gender inequalities in artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) and highlights actions to improve gender equality and advance women’s participation.

Creating jobs and confronting climate change are two of the biggest challenges in the fight against poverty. A groundbreaking new partnership launched today between the World Bank and Japan—joined by Italy, the Republic of Korea, Canada, and the United Kingdom—addresses both.

A new World Bank and Pact report finds that better working conditions can improve productivity, health, and safety for the over 44 million artisanal miners across 80 countries. The report outlines solutions to improve occupational health and safety, social protection, and fair labor standards for the artisanal and small-scale (ASM) sector and at least 134 million people who are estimated to work in industries that support the sector.

Poland’s National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management (NFEP&WM) and the World Bank, in cooperation with the European Commission, launched an initiative to facilitate a knowledge exchange between coal regions in Poland and Ukraine that can help both countries prepare for an energy transformation in the coming years. The exchange is part of the program that assists countries in developing and implementing inclusive strategies for transitioning to low-carbon energy systems.

A new World Bank Group report finds that the production of minerals, such as graphite, lithium and cobalt, could increase by nearly 500% by 2050, to meet the growing demand for clean energy technologies. It estimates that over 3 billion tons of minerals and metals will be needed to deploy wind, solar and geothermal power, as well as energy storage, required for achieving a below 2°C future.

From December 6-7, 2022, the World Bank brought together over 140 practitioners and experts in artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) for a two-day conference in Nairobi, Kenya to reflect on the lessons learned from the World Bank’s Covid-19 emergency response for ASM mining communities, and to discuss ways to improve ASM practice going forward.

With the number of solar PVs set to increase to meet climate targets, so will the demand for aluminum. The World Bank estimates that demand for aluminum will more than double in a 2-degree climate scenario.

Renewable technologies such as battery storage systems, low-carbon hydrogen, solar panels, wind turbines as well as the required expansion of transmission infrastructure, rely on minerals and metals. The energy transition is expected to massively boost demand for these minerals and metals.

The world cannot afford to lose more forests. Forests are vital to people and the planet, supplying the air we breathe and providing water to nearly 1.6 billion people. A low-carbon future requires significant investment and innovation to stop forest loss and damage.

A just transition requires a whole-of-government approach. Traditional labor policy instruments are an integral part of governments’ toolkits—but they are often not enough to achieve a “just transition” for all affected workers and communities

“Indonesia has had a very strong legal basis to mainstream gender in the mining industry,” said Yuli Adiratna, the Indonesian Ministry of Labor Director of Labor Inspections Norms. “We have various regulations that mandate a non-discriminatory approach in the workplace."

A Platform Initiative in Support of Coal Regions in Transition for Western Balkans and Ukraine provides countries in the region decades of expertise and the tools and financing necessary to accelerate the transition away from coal.

We have a collective responsibility to ensure that the world’s hidden mining workforce, supplying the materials we use in our daily lives, enjoy safe and productive working conditions.

In this episode, Christopher Sheldon, expert on enery transition, discusses how the right policies can help unlock viable economic opportunities while making the solution socially and environmentally sustainable.

The AWIMA Jewellery Design Project, supported by the EGPS, provides a one-of-a-kind platform for celebrating the resilience of African women in mining while using innovative ideas to partner with African women designers and jewelers.

EGPS has created a new emergency response for vulnerable ASM communities impacted by COVID-19. The Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs contributed 1 million Swiss Francs in seed funding. More support from donors is expected.