Monica Ospina – Building Resilience in Mining: 360 Degree Rapid Assessment

Founder and Director, O Trade

e-mail: monica@otrade.ca

In today’s world, society overall is calling for transparency, credibility, social justice, inclusion, and participation. All industries are under the scrutiny of stakeholders at the local and global levels, and mining is not an exception.

The industry’s nature makes mining one of the few industries with an immediate impact on social and political issues rooted in the locations where the mineral activity occurs. Mining often occurs in remote, underdeveloped areas, where it has the power to contribute to sustainable development, triggering regional economic growth, or to be part of the conflict. At O Trade, we see the mining industry as a catalyst for building conflict-free collaborative environments, which enable development wherein value increases for the surrounding communities, the private sector, and the local government.

For over 15 years of academic research and recognized fieldwork, O Trade has brought win-win solutions for inclusion, collaboration, and progress. COVID-19 adds a new complexity and greater distance from sites due to travel restrictions. With this in mind, we have created the 360 Degree Focused Rapid Assessment to bridge the corporate office and the onsite operation, connecting governance, starting with policy and corporate purpose, down through the details of on-the-ground social and environmental strategy definition and execution. The goal is to provide a high-level analysis to help management understand the gaps in sustainability engagement approaches to increase collaborative value, enhancing internal analysis’s transparency and credibility.

In times of adversity, a 360 Degree Focused Analysis diagnosis considering ESG framework for externalities such as the environmental and social atmosphere where it operates, in correlation with internalities such as corporate governance, is essential in defining a roadmap of key sustainability focus areas that need attention, undiagnosed risks needing focus, and solution-design activity. With this completed, we will have paved the road for reporting, transparency, and credibility, resulting in a stronger industry.

Biography

Monica is a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and Sustainability expert with recognized experience in the design and implementation of stakeholder engagement strategies that support operational productivity while building trusting relationships with communities impacted by mineral exploration and mining operations. Her innovative approach to transform conflict into development and human and social capital into value for investors has contributed to ensuring operational readiness, improving the perception of mining and the well-being of communities across regions.

As an author, Monica created the Local Community Procurement Program (LCPP), a sustainable supply chain model, awarded by the IFC-World Bank in 2012. She has also contributed to the IFC-World Bank’s Guide for the Early Stakeholder Engagement (published in 2015) and participated in discussion groups for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at the RIO + 20 World Convention on Sustainable Development in 2012. In 2020, she was awarded as Distinguished Lecturer by CIM (Canadian Institute of Mining).

Monica holds a Master’s Degree in Diplomatic Studies from the University of Westminster, and has completed postgraduate programs in Sustainability Management from Harvard University and International Business Strategy, from the London School of Economics.