ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Minerals (AMMin)

2005 - Date established

During the 1st AMMin, the Ministers adopted the first ASEAN Minerals Cooperation Action Plan (AMCAP 2005-2010 or AMCAP-I). The current action plan of the AMMin is AMCAP-III (2016-2025), specifically Phase 1 for 2016-2020. The Plan reflects AMMin's and ASOMM's vision to "create a vibrant and competitive ASEAN mineral sector for the well-being of the ASEAN people through enhancing trade and investments and strengthening cooperation and capacity for sustainable mineral development in the region." Cooperation is in four strategic areas, namely:
1. Facilitating and enhancing trade and investment in minerals;
2. Promoting environmentally and socially sustainable mineral development;
3. Strengthening institutional and human capacities in the ASEAN minerals sector; and
4. Maintaining efficient and up-to-date ASEAN Minerals Database, including its infrastructure towards achieving AEC integration in the minerals sector.
As a member of AMMin and ASOMM, the Philippines, through the DENR-MGB is participating in the implementation of the AMCAP-III.

The 6th AMMin was held on 30 November 2017 in Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar. The Ministers considered and endorsed the following recommendations of the ASOMM, presented by Myanmar, the 17th ASOMM Chair:
- Noted the progress of the implementation of AMCAP-III Phase 1: 2016-2020 by the ASOMM and its working groups, namely the accomplishments of the 2016 and 2017 Action Plans, including the status of the 2017 Priority Deliverables to be submitted to the ASEAN Economic Community Council;
- Welcomed the launch of the 1st ASEAN Minerals Awards to recognize best practices and support the promotion of environmentally and socially sustainable ASEAN minerals sector;
- Welcomed the adoption and activation of the ASEAN Reporting Mechanism to Monitor the Adoption of Sustainability Frameworks and Tools by ASEAN Member States in 2017;
- Welcomed the launch of the publications on: ASEAN Reporting Mechanism to Monitor the Adoption of Sustainability Frameworks and Assessment Tools in the Minerals Sector; Best Practices on Sustainable Mineral Development in ASEAN; Sustainable Mineral Resource Development: Benefitting the People, Economy and Environment; and, ASEAN Minerals Cooperation Action Plan (AMCAP)-III Phase 1: 2016-2020;
- Noted the progress in enhancing the ASEAN Minerals Database and Information System (AMDIS) content and homepage layout and agreed to prioritize the restructuring of AMDIS for AMTF funding, in case of non-availability of funding from Dialogue Partners;
- Noted the ongoing effort to generate minerals trade and investments data in collaboration with the ASEAN Statistical Community System Committee and through the ASEAN stats database;
- Welcomed the outcome of the ASEAN Secretariat's Gap Analysis on the Minerals Capacity Building program, which resulted in ASEAN Member States agreeing to: enhance documentation of capacity building activities, initiate post-activity evaluation for each activity, build a common repository of capacity building materials in the AMDIS to improve the scalability/ replicability of capacity building for and within ASEAN Member States and, capacity building activities to be made more programmatic and oriented to regional goals;
- Welcomed the preparation of the Mid-Term Review of the AMCAP-III Phase 1 and the proposed study to review the development prospects of ASEAN cooperation in minerals following a decade of regional cooperation in minerals;
- Noted the completion of AMS contributions to the initial endowment of the ASEAN Minerals Trust Fund in 2016, and tasked ASOMM to recommend ways and means to sustain the Fund's ability to support future priority activities agreed under the AMCAP-III;
- Endorsed the adoption of the ASEAN+3 Minerals Cooperation Work Plan 2016-2020;
- Endorsed the adoption of the Terms of Reference for ASEAN Member States Country Coordinators for ASEAN Minerals Cooperation with Dialogue Partners and Other Partners, and tasked ASOMM to intensify cooperation with advanced mining economies and with relevant international organisations;
- Welcomed the initiative to cooperate with the Intergovernmental Forum on Mining, Minerals, Metals and Sustainable Development (IGF); and
- Welcomed the continued holding of the "Private Sector Forum on Cooperation in Minerals in ASEAN" organized by the ASEAN Mining Federation Association as follows: 4th Private Sector Forum and the 2016 Asia Pacific Mineral Resource Exhibition and Conference (APMREC) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on 10-12 November 2016; and the 5th Private Sector Forum in Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar and the Myanmar Mining Federation Association on 29 November 2017.
- The 1st ASEAN Mineral Awards (AMA) was launched and awarded during the said Meeting in 2017. The AMA recognizes best practices and supports the promotion of environmentally and socially sustainable ASEAN mineral sector. Eight mining companies operating in ASEAN were awarded for their commendable practices in three categories of mining operations. The awardees included three from Indonesia, Philippines and Thailand for 'best practice in minerals mining'; another three from Indonesia, Lao PDR and Philippines for 'best practice in minerals processing'; and, two awardees from Indonesia and Thailand for 'best practice in minerals distribution.' Awardees from the Philippines include Rio-Tuba Nickel Mining Corporation of Nickel Asia Philippines for "Best Practice in Minerals Mining" and Oceana Gold Philippines, Inc. for "Best Practice in Mineral Processing."