Mining activity can be a major economic driver for countries. However, these benefits are not always felt at the local level, and they are not experienced equally. Men often have greater access to opportunities, in terms of employment and income, while women tend to be disproportionately affected by the social and environmental impacts. Over the past decade, Canadian non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have been implementing international development projects in in various countries in the mining context. The projects, funded by Global Affairs Canada (GAC), aim to enable local actors and communities to maximize socio-economic benefits from extractive activities.

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This report highlights different strategies five Canadian non-profits have taken to promote gender equity in the mining context. The objective of this report is to identify lessons learned for policy makers, other non-profit organizations as well as the private sector in their efforts to support gender equity.

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This report was completed by Suzanne Belliveau for the Devonshire Initiative. Lessons learned were identified through a literature review and interviews with program leaders from the participating non-profits. Community participants or partners were not interviewed for this project, which presents an opportunity to discuss and validate the lessons learned from this report. This report does not adequately cover the range of gender impacts from mining activity.

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These projects offer a unique opportunity to demonstrate how gender equality and women’s empowerment can be enhanced in the mining contexts. The study identified common approaches that non-profits took to promote gender equity in the mining context. The study also identifies the following key takeaways for non-profits, policy makers and the private sector.

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