IWiM hosts successful inaugural International Day of Women in Mining
15.07.2022International Women in Mining (IWiM) announced the successful launch of the annual International Day of Women in Mining (IDWIM) campaign.
IWiM Founder and Director, Barbara Dischinger, commented: “It was amazing to see the industry come together in celebration of the achievements to date, and to build a community which will enhance practices and activities collectively. This campaign is an opportunity for individuals, companies, and organisations to collaborate and work on progressive initiatives that address the current requirements for more and better diversity, equity, and inclusion in the industry. We are looking forward to the campaign continuing its work throughout the year.”
The campaign was launched during a 2-hour virtual event on 15 June 2022 and was attended by over 1000 participants from across the globe. Among participants were mining professionals from mining companies, suppliers and industry associations, academia, and students in the area, as well as governments, unions, and civil society representatives.
The event programme included inspiring keynotes from industry experts, interactive polls, competitions, and actionable projects for the industry to get involved. Relevant first-time announcements made during IDWIM included:
1. Keynote speaker Rohitesh Dhawan, ICMM CEO believes that “unless we walk the walk ... the outcomes will not change substantially,” and announced for first time in a public forum “about the steps being taken to improve the outcomes of diversity, equity and inclusion, which is a critical challenge for us an industry to address.” This includes an update to ICMM’s Mining Principles, which reinforces the integral role of DEI to sustainable development, the actions needed to eliminate all forms of harassment and unfair discrimination from our workplaces, proactive steps to achieve gender equality and the unincumbered participation of all peoples and cementing the importance of psychological safety alongside physical health and safety in our efforts to achieve zero harm.
2. IWiM launched a new webpage called “Respect at Work”. This initiative is a resource for survivors to anonymously share their stories of discrimination, bullying, racism, harassment, and all forms of gender-based violence. IWiM believes this resource serves to raise awareness for everyone who works in the industry, regardless of their gender and how they self-identify.
3. IDWIM sponsor Covergalls Workwear launched their new maternity wear line during the IDWIM celebration. Their maternity cargo pants and work shirts are specially designed for every pregnancy stage, while also being high visibility and flame resistant.
The campaign launch, celebrated under the theme #CelebrateWIM #CelebrateHer, saw women in mining (WIM) organisations, mining companies, industry organisations and individual women host an array of celebrations virtually and in-person to commemorate the day across the world.
The campaign is endorsed by World Gold Council, Albemarle Corporation, Hatch, Covergalls Workwear, BRIMM Mining Education (Bradshaw Research Institute for Minerals and Mining), from the University of British Columbia, and among others.
