Programme

DAY 1 - 29th of October
08.30 – 09.00
Opening and welcome
Rev Jo Seoka, Chairperson of the Bench Marks Foundation
09.00 –
09.30
Keynote address: Whose resources? How can natural resources be used to the benefit of people and what have been the main obstacles to achieving this?
Ben Turok
09.30 –
11.30

Panel One: The experience of extractive industries
What have been the impacts of extractive industries for local communities?


(10.15 Tea break)

South Africa: Caroline Ntaopane from the Vaal Environmental Justice Alliance (VEJA) on the environmental impacts

South Africa:
Thabo Khoeli,
Representative from the monitoring school to speak about the post- mining impacts on local communities
South Sudan: Simon Chol Mialith, Senior Programme Manager for Oil and Peace,
Sudan Council of Churches (SCC)
Rev. Simon Mantago,
Tanzania

11.30-
12.30

Buzz groups and discussion in plenary: The aim is to debate the underlying causes of these impacts, leading up to the next panel on the different country experiences and models of ownership of natural resources.  
12.30-
13.30
Lunch

13.30-
14.45
Panel 2: Different country experiences with natural resources: what different models of ownership exist and what have been the benefits and challenges of these?

Dr Gavin Capps, NRF Research Chair in Land Reform and Democracy in South Africa, Centre for African Studies
Mrs Mitheo Lola Tumba,legal consultant and human rights activist, previous minister from DR Congo
Dr Onalenna Selolwane, Sociology Department University of Botswana
Dr. Bjørn Letnes,Managing Director at Novora, Norwegian Petroleum Consultancy Group * unable to attend

14.45-
15.15

Q&A

15.30-
17.00

Case study on Marikana chaired by Rt. Rev. Dr Jo Seoka
How should the events on the 16th of August be understood and what were the underlying causes?

Chris Molebatsi, community representative from Marikana
Gavin Hartford, Executive Director, The Esop Shop
David van Wyk, lead researcher for Policy Gap 6
19.00-
20.30

Debate on nationalisation
Panelists:
Mr Irvin Jim, General Secretary of NUMSA
Mr Michael Solomon, Chairman, Mineral Economics Committee, Southern African Institute of Mining and Metallurgy
Mr Andile Mngxitama, activist and writer
Mr Shawn Hattingh, International Labour Research and Information Group (ILRIG)


DAY 2 - 30th of October
08.30-
08.45


08.45 - 09.00
Review of day 1 and introduction to day 2



Adress by Moreblessings Chidaushe, Norwegian Church Aid
09.00-
11.00


The way forward: what lessons can be learnt from the different country experiences and what policy changes are needed?

A mixed panel of representatives from civil society and academics, each making a presentation on different aspects:


Samantha Hargreaves, South Africa

The experience of women in mining and the impact on gender relations – in relation to policy recommendations


Mr Shamiso Mtisi,
Zimbabwe Environmental Law Association (ZELA)

 What lessons can be learnt from the Zimbabwean experience?


Silas Ochego Olang,
Tanzania Revenue Watch
Institute

What lessons can be learnt from Tanzania´s experiences with socialist and capitalist models of ownership?

Botswana: What can be learnt from the experience of Botswana with diamonds? Are any of these lessons transferable?

Chairperson of BOCONGO , NGO coalition in Botswana
(To be confirmed)

Yao Graham, Third World Network

Regional coordination: what policies are needed on a regional level to ensure that the benefits of natural resources are transferred to the people?
11.00 - 11.15

11.15 -
12.00

Tea Break


Buzz groups followed by discussion in plenary: Each representative from the panel leads a workshop for the participants on what kind of policies are needed to ensure that natural resources come to the benefit of people. What can be learnt from the different experiences and models of ownership?

12.00 -
13.00
Summary: What policies on ownership of natural resources should be pushed for?
13.00 -
14.00
Lunch
14.00 -           
16.00   
Strategy Workshop
      1.      How can the outcomes of this conference be used in concrete policy advocacy?
      

DAY 3 - 31st of October
09.00 -09.30
Rt. Rev Dr Jo Seoka, Chairperson of the Bench Marks Foundation Mission, Vision and Challenges Today
09.30 - 09.50
Executive Director of the Bench Marks Foundation Mr John Chapel and Prof Freek Conjé: Presentation of the Bench Marks Centre at the North-West University
09.50 -10.50
Representatives from the Bench Marks Monitoring School present their work on monitoring mining corporations and their effects on local communities.
10.50 - 11.15
Public launch of the Church Leader’s Call for Responsible Investment