Where do mining royalties go?
A new interactive platform to promote a better understanding of the flow of resources from mining royalties, from their collection to their transformation into investment projects, has been launched.
Each year, the extractives sector pays hundreds of billions of dollars in form of royalties to host governments worldwide. Despite that, over a billion people in resource rich countries still live in poverty and lack access to basic infrastructure required to meet their fundamental needs. Where do mining royalties go?
To answer that question, Colombian company Datasketch launched Visible Mining, an interactive online resource that provides a complete picture of the flow of resources from mining royalties. Visible Mining (Minería Visible in Spanish) is designed to share, consult and visualize information related to the use of mining royalties.
A game-changer tool
Visible Mining integrates open data from different entities, centralizing all available information to allow a simple and intuitive search, in a single portal.
The information comes from reliable and up-to-date open data sources, selected to provide a comprehensive picture of the use of mining royalties and the infrastructure projects royalties are funding.
The tool's primary objective is to provide comprehensive, disaggregated information, particularly at the municipal level, ensuring that individuals at all levels have access to the full range of available data. This is consistent with the Colombian context in which the platform was originally developed.
“Through simplified visualization boards, detailed infographics, and informative documents, we are building accessible data infrastructures. These tools allow members of local communities, as well as any interested party, to explore how money from mining royalties is transformed into infrastructure that directly impacts their quality of life.This approach demonstrates the importance of targeted, local data systems”, said Juan Pablo Marín Díaz, CEO of Datasketch, the social technology company behind the platform.
Check Visible Mining videos to learn how to use the platform:
As first of its kind, Visible Mining could also become a critical tool increase transparency and tackle corruption in the extractives sector.
“Easy access to user-friendly data in Mineria Visible is important because it gives mining communities a better ability to monitor the flow of royalties and a stronger voice in how the royalties are being used," said Alla Morrison, Program Manager of the International Finance Corporation’s (IFC) From Disclosure to Development (D2D) program.
"Public participation in the monitoring of royalties’ investment in local education, health, and infrastructure projects leads to improvements in the lives of women, men and youth. Visible Mining will help foster public transparency and accountability in Colombia that are essential for public trust in mining sector and for inclusive development.”
Visible Mining was selected from the call "Mining Data in Action: Building Trust and Transparency" of the International Finance Corporation's (IFC) From Disclosure to Development (D2D) program in collaboration with the Trust, Accountability and Inclusion Collaborative, with the support of BHP Foundation. Learn more
