Comments, concerns and recommendations regarding the Global Tailings Review's draft Global Tailings Standard, with very minor revisions from the version submitted to the Global Tailings Review.
MiningWatch Canada welcomes the initiative of establishing a global standard for mine waste and mine tailings safety. While the current draft Global Tailings Standard is clearly a step in the right direction, it remains insufficient. Just like the Mining Association of Canada’s Tailings Guide — also an important guiding document — the Global Tailings Standard falls short of addressing important technical and financial criteria, as well as important considerations for effective accountability and enforceability at a global scale. MiningWatch Canada urges the Global Tailings Review to do more and fully support, integrate, and implement the “Top 12 Asks for Mine Tailings Safety” developed by civil society organizations and various independent experts. Those, in combination with additional measures included below and in the attached document, would help address the gaps of the current draft standard and ensure that the tens of thousands of mine waste sites and dams worldwide no longer fail and destroy significant ecosystems, livelihoods, and human lives.