EGP News

Strong interest in PEM among communities in Nariño, Colombia

The participants demonstrated strong interest in the PEM initiative as an inclusive mechanism for strengthening environmental governance. The workshops also provided valuable insights into initial needs, priorities, and feasibility considerations for implementing potential PEM initiatives in the Department.

“Building on the initial engagement, we expect to extend the activity to additional mining municipalities in Nariño and, together with national and local authorities, define the first sites for the PEM initiative implementation” says Natalia Lázaro Rincón, EGP Focal Point at UNDP Colombia.

The future of mining governance discussed during workshop in Kenya

The workshop will result in a scoping report that will inform a Mining Governance Assessment, which will be drafted 2026-2027. The SwEPA team also provided technical input on the guidelines on deposit bonds for the mining industry, which have been developed during 2025. In addition, there was a joint planning session for 2026 together with the EGP Technical Committee in Kenya. 

“One of the key take aways from our visit is the EGP Kenya have many good examples to showcase globally, especially related to their structured approach to collaboration between government agencies and important stakeholders” says Pontus Westrin. 

 A follow up visit by SwEPA experts will take place in February 2026.

EGP Annual Meeting looking both back and forward

On 2–3 December, representatives from all five EGP focus countries met online with the global team for the EGP Annual Meeting. The event was divided into two parts. Day 1 focused on the past and the main EGP achievements during 2025, while day 2 was all about the future and the plans for 2026. The event gave a good overview of the programme’s development, and it was also an opportunity for discussions and learnings. 

“It was particularly beneficial to have both stakeholders and members of the implementation team in the same meeting, sharing insights from both perspectives” says Malin Eriksson, EGP Programme Manager at the Swedish EPA.

Water management, biodiversity and PEM three focus areas for DRC

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) became a new EGP country in 2025. During the year, a lot of preparatory work has been carried out, including analyzing prioritized focus areas and potential impact, as well as contacts with other EGP countries. 

In November, a stakeholder meeting was held in Kinshasa with the aim of mobilizing contributions from stakeholders at both national and local levels, in order to maximize the efficiency and impact of the EGP Programme. The meeting also provided an opportunity to identify institutional gaps and to discuss challenges, opportunities, strategic actions and priorities. It was attended by the Ministry of Mines, the Ministry of Environment, Sustainable Development and the New Climate Economy, including the Congolese Environment Agency (ACE), as well as experts from these ministries based in the provinces of Haut-Katanga and Lualaba. The National Fund for the Promotion of Social Services (FNPSS) and the Embassy of Sweden also took part in the meeting. 

Several recommendations were made to improve environmental governance in the mining sector, including: 

• The establishment of clear frameworks for responsibilities and coordination, providing a solid foundation for joint and collaborative action.
• Strengthen the capacities of stakeholders for sustainable waste management in order to preserve local ecosystems and promote the well-being of communities.
• Integrate local communities into the processes of environmental and social impact assessments to ensure sustainable and inclusive solutions.
• Strengthen the capacities of stakeholders and establish monitoring structures for water management in mining areas. 
• Establish permanent collaboration frameworks: create functional institutional mechanisms to harmonize interventions among stakeholders, with periodic meetings to ensure coordinated governance. 
• Create an information-sharing platform: develop a digital tool accessible to all, facilitating the sharing of environmental and social impact studies and strengthening transparency and accountability. 

Some of the recommendations will be addressed in the work plan for 2026, particularly regarding capacity building in water and biodiversity management in mining areas, and the establishment of collaboration frameworks for PEM.

Multi stakeholder workshop about lithium in Argentina

The “lithium triangle” in the Andes region of Argentina, Chile and Bolivia holds a large part of the world’s lithium resources. The production of lithium can impact local ecosystems and water supplies, and in turn the traditional economic activities of the surrounding communities. A project led by the Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI), has developed a process for more inclusive water management, which is being piloted in Pastos Grandes in the Salta region of Argentina. 

In November, a multi stakeholder workshop brought together members of the local community, provincial authorities, Argentine academics who are part of the project’s Expert Council, representatives from the donor country (Sweden), and potential lithium-producing companies.

During the workshop, SEI presented preliminary versions of the models developed to represent the hydrology, hydrogeology, and functioning of aquatic ecosystems in the basin. The goal was to gather input to strengthen these models and advance the identification of core local issues, major uncertainties, and indicators that will help assess the alignment of future basin conditions with stakeholders’ expectations.

EGP was represented by Florencia Nocera from UNDP Argentina. She shared experiences from working with indigenous communities in the lithium triangle in a previous phase of EGP.

IGF Annual General Meeting confirms importance of EGP's key priorities

Once a year, the Intergovernmental Forum on Mining, Minerals, Metals and Sustainable Development (IGF) holds its annual meeting in Geneva, Switzerland. This is one of the most important meeting places for questions concerning environmental governance of the mining sector. It brings together stakeholders from across the global mining governance sector, and EGP’s priority areas align closely with their interests. 

This year, EGP was represented at the IGF Annual Meeting by the programme managers Malin Eriksson (SwEPA) and Ciara Daniels (UNDP). In addition, SwEPA showcased the Swedish system in line with the theme of the meeting: Environmental policies for mineral value chains beyond mining. Karolina Lundén Ardesjö, Head of the Environmental Protection Unit, delivered an insightful presentation that sparked strong interest in Sweden’s approach and the EGP programme. 

The panel discussion following Karolina’s presentation further strengthened engagement and visibility for Sweden and EGP.

Also interesting for EGP, a brief on ‘the Criticality of Gender Equality in the Race for Battery Minerals’ was launched during the IGF meeting. The full paper, developed by IGF, IISD, ILO and UNDP, will be released in 2026.

Forum on sustainable mining explored strengthened collaboration between Zambia and Sweden

The Swedish Zambian Forum on Sustainable Mining and Energy Transformation 2025 was held in Kitwe in the Zambian Copperbelt on 10–11 November. The event brought together partners, industry leaders and government representatives to explore how Sweden and Zambia can strengthen collaboration for a more sustainable future of the mining and energy sectors. 

EGP participated in a high-level panel on Public Private Partnerships through Mats Kullberg from the Swedish EPA. One of the key questions discussed in the panel discussion centered around how Swedish technologies and experiences benefit Zambia’s conditions and requirements in the mining and energy sectors, as well as aid the Zambia’s green transition with innovation and research-based solutions. 

The forum stands as one of the highlights of the celebrations of 60 years of diplomatic relations between Sweden and Zambia.

Watch the webinar about the new PEM Checklist

In October, EGP launched a new checklist for Participatory Environmental Monitoring (PEM). The checklist offers practical, step-by-step guidance to help communities, government agencies, and mining companies jointly monitor and manage environmental impacts. 

The new interactive tool was presented at a webinar, which also included inspirational examples of how PEM has been implemented in Mongolia and Peru. In case you missed the webinar, the recording is available on YouTube. The live webinar was in English, but the recording also has subtitles in French and Spanish. 

The PEM Checklist compiles a decade of EGP’s experiences. It is free to use and share with partners and stakeholders. 

> Watch the webinar 

> Check out the PEM checklist

For more information and suggestions, contact Elisabeth Simelton. 

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