7/25/2019 Maximizing the Opportunities for Women in Mozambique’s Extractive Industry Sector_newsletter 9Jun16

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Maximizing the opportunities for women in Mozambique’s ExtractiveIndustry sector

Mozambican women face great opportunities for economic empowerment through the country’s

 vast, and largely untapped, natural resources. But wealth for all as a result of the exploitation of

these resources is far from a foregone conclusion, as experience has shown in the past. As part of

UN Women Mozambique’s strategy for women’s economic empowerment in extractive industries

(EI), the Country Office collaborated with the Mozambican Ministry of Mineral Resources and

Energy, UNDP Mozambique and the World Bank’s Mozambique Mining and Gas Technical

 Assistance (MAGTAP) project to host a National Sharefair on Gender and Extractive Industries

from June 2-3, 2016 in Maputo that focused on issues of productive inclusion in EI.

EIs have been key to the growth of Mozambique’s

economy for the past 20 years, with an average GDP

growth of 7% between 1997 and 2014. Coal and precious

stones have all attracted foreign direct investments, and

together with liquefied natural gas represent one of the

most important development opportunities for the

country today and in the near-term. At the same time,

these various forms of resource extraction can also

present risks, grave risks, for environmental degradation,

economic disturbance, population displacement as well

as potentially deepen inequality and poverty amongst themost vulnerable.

 While men can often benefit from the labour as well as

investment opportunities arising from the growth of the

sector, women often also bear a significant burden of

direct and indirect costs - family or social disruption and

environmental degradation of water sources, which can

then lead to other social and economic challenges

including a loss of income from other sectors such as

agriculture. Furthermore, women can facedisproportionate risks of harassment, gender-based

Photo copyright @ UN Women

 A woman affected by EI. Joaquina is a

widow, mother of four (aged 15, 13, 9, and

5) as well as an entrepreneur that is providing

about 56 meals a week to a group of

construction workers who are building Jindal

resettlement houses in Chirodzi. 

7/25/2019 Maximizing the Opportunities for Women in Mozambique’s Extractive Industry Sector_newsletter 9Jun16

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 violence and HIV/AIDS due to social, physical and economic vulnerabilities at play in their

engagement with the EI value-chain. Salient evidence suggests that, if not managed in a transparent

and equitable manner, extractive industries could further widen the gender gaps in access to

resources and resource-related opportunities, bringing into focus the impact of SDG 8 –  Good Jobs

and Economic Growth  on other SDGS including SDG 5 - Gender Equality. 

 The Mozambique Sharefair, modelled after the regional Sharefair on the same topic held in Nairobi

in October 2015, aimed to create a platform to share knowledge and facilitate dialogue between

different stakeholders on these issues. Participants from different stakeholder groups  –  policy

makers, civil society, private sector and women miners  –  shared their ideas and experiences on

 women’s economic participation in the sector and  to highlight successes in achieving a more

inclusive extractive industry in Mozambique. The meeting also drew on experiences, lessons learnt

and good practices from other countries such as Malawi and Tanzania as well as regional actors.

More than 100 participants attended the two-day event including representatives from four

Ministries – 

 Mineral Resources and Industry, Gender, Children and Social Action, Economy andFinance and Land, Environment and Rural Development, UN agencies, development partners,

academia and civil society as well as some involved both in the private sector and CSO activities

from Zimbabwe, Malawi, Zambia and South Africa.

UN Women Mozambique has been keenly engaged at the policy level for many years on Gender

and Extractive Industries, supporting a widening of the knowledge base through studies and joint

efforts with government and civil society. The CO has also supported the strengthening of the

government’s capacity to incorporate gender and social equality issues in EI as well as advocated

for enhanced legal, regulatory and policy protections. The June 2-3 event will help to further

consolidate these efforts, as well as mov e forward the debate and efforts to strengthen women’s

 voices and representation in EI. The CO has signalled its

support for immediate follow-

up actions including (i) the

establishment of a Community

of Practice (COP) ao sustain

the sharing of experiences,

models and good practices

between stakeholders of the

mining and extractive value

chain including women miners;

(ii) the development of a South-

South Cooperation initiative as

 well as (iii) support to greater

collaboration across various

Ministries and sectors for policy coherence. Work has already started on the COP.

During Environment Week, June 6-10th, we are also mindful of the multiple environmental

governance issues surrounding land management in which extractives, agriculture and other

sectors play a key role.

 Access other photos from the Sharefair at this link 

The Women from Capanga are small scale miners who crush stones at

the Ben a coal mine in Moati e, Tete.