From Krishnan NayarNEW DELHI, 30th November, 2020 (WAM) The UAEs National Employment Strategy 2031 has been cited as a milestone in human resource development by the Indian governments leading think tank on research and policy, the Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses.

"In the UAE, the National Employment Strategy 2031 aims to provide human resource with the skills required for the labour market," says the Institutes just released policy paper on the subject "Labour Sector Reforms in the GCC and Challenges for Indian Expatriates."

"The new Emirati school model curriculum focuses on skilling students with critical thinking, innovation, teamwork and utilising information technology in problem solving," says the paper written for the Institute by Lakshmi Priya, its Research Analyst who specializes in West Asia. The Middle East is commonly referred to in India by the geographical description of West Asia.

"Furthermore, the level of education among women is rising and they are joining the workforce more and more. Social and cultural barriers that were hindering women from joining the public spaces are loosening up," she writes with reference to the ongoing reforms in Saudi Arabia. "There is simultaneous movement towards greater use of technology and automation in the Gulf countries."

The Manohar Parrikar Institute conducts relevant studies on all aspects of Indias security. Its latest paper would come under the rubric of employment security.

In this context, the paper suggests that "India needs to closely monitor the labour market reforms and developments in the GCC countries. Given that India has a large migrant population gainfully employed in the Gulf, who also send a significant amount in remittances annually, it is important that the trends in labour market in the Gulf are systematically studied."

It concludes on an optimistic note. "Though it is likely that once the GCC economies start to recover from the impact of the pandemic, the migrants will start returning, the changes being brought in the labour market to address some of the longstanding socio-economic issues will have a long term impact on the Indian expatriates in the GCC."

The document recommends to the Indian government that "one of the first steps is to create a database and develop programmes through joint public-private initiatives to deal with migration as well as provide better skills to people seeking employment in the GCC countries."

The UAEs National Employment Strategy 2031 was launched in November 2018, during the UAE Governments second Annual Meetings by the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation.

The strategy aims to support the UAE governments efforts to build a knowledge-based economy by empowering labour productivity, providing national human resources with the skills required for the labour market, promoting entrepreneurship and training in future skills and skill development programmes, among other things.

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Indian think tank predicts post-COVID economic recovery in GCC - WAM EN

During the height of the protests over the police killing of George Floyd in May, Rose Barboza felt conflicted. She wanted to join the demonstrations but had a four-year-old at her Saco home and was concerned about catching or spreading the coronavirus. Instead, Barboza began to consider another way to fight using her purchasing power.

Online directories popped up nationally, spotlighting Black-owned businesses and educating people about how seeking out these businesses can help, at the local level, reduce the racial wealth gap, support entrepreneurship and job creation for Black Americans, and send a message that representation matters.

This story was originally published byThe Maine Monitor.

The Maine Monitor, formerly known as Pine Tree Watch, is a local journalism product published by The Maine Center for Public Interest Reporting, a nonpartisan, nonprofit civic news organization based in Augusta.

But, companies in Maine remained largely off the lists. Maine is the nations whitest state, with nearly95 percentof its population identifying as white.

Barboza discussed this on a hike with her brother.

And then BAM! This idea came, Barboza said.

Two days later, on June 1, she launchedBlack Owned Maine, or BOM, a virtual directory of businesses in the state that are at least 50 percent Black-owned.

Barboza, a recent University of Southern Maine graduate with a degree in marketing and international business, had been furloughed from her job in the travel industry and was brainstorming ideas for her own venture. She wanted to build a website and considered opening a marketing agency.

I was like, Oh my gosh, this is all of that in one thing, Barboza said. I finally found my niche. I finally found the thing that I can focus my energy on and its something that I know about already. I can list 100 (Black-owned businesses) off the top of my head.

She enlisted the help of her friend, Jerry Edwards, a Portland music producer who goes by the name of Genius Black. The directory swelled.

Black Owned Maine now lists more than 250 businesses, nonprofits and contractors; 14,600 Instagram followers; and a podcast. Barboza said events and a clothing line are in the works.

The group also raised $50,000 in four months, and began awarding innovator grants for listed businesses looking to rebrand and family grants for households struggling to pay bills because of the pandemic. Barboza, who had to return to work July 1, was able to quit her job in October to work on the site and its projects full time. Now she is looking to help build online presences for micro-businesses that may not have websites.

While a few question whether the directory is necessary, supporters say highlighting Black-owned businesses benefits the states economy and enables people to counteract some economic racial disparities.

Barboza, who is of mixed race and grew up in Lewiston, said Black businesses tend not to be part of the mainstream, often do not come up high in internet searches and sometimes cannot afford to advertise on traditional platforms. Giving them exposure in the directory helps broaden their customer bases and gets consumers thinking more consciously about their spending decisions.

Rebeccah Geib, an ultra-runner, credits Black Owned Maine with helping her find The Exercise Design Lab in Bar Harbor, where she lives. Jacques Newell Taylor opened the business in 2019 after running his own exercise studio in Los Angeles for 15 years. Taylor specializes in designing customized exercise programs that integrate neuroscience to help improve brain health and athletic performance.

Geib was surprised she had never heard of the business, especially because it aligns so well with her lifestyle, values and needs as an athlete.

How was it possible that as an athlete and just an overall fitness nut, I had no idea that this business even existed, and I had no idea who Jacques was? she wrote in an email, noting that Bar Harbor has a small year-round community.

Geib, who is white, said its not just the physical gains shes made that keeps her coming back to The Exercise Design Lab, its the conversations she has with Taylor about race and community.

I train with Jacques because its one of the most enriching experiences Ive ever had, she said, and without Black Owned Maine, who knows how long it would have been before I discovered (him).

Geib said she always thought that she was a person who supported racial justice, but realized while attending a Black Lives Matter rally that showing up at a protest was not enough: she needed to take action.

Black Owned Maine is now this tangible resource to use in order to take a step toward being an ally, she said.

One challenge Taylor has faced is the independent mindset locals have about exercising: they hike, bike, run and go to the gym, he said, but are not as adventurous when it comes to trying a new approach.

But being on Black Owned Maine has already gained him four clients in addition to Geib. They too had been to a Black Lives Matter rally and decided to follow up. They found The Exercise Design Lab on the site, checked out the program and were intrigued.

Now theyre all here, every single one of them, Taylor said. I was moved in many ways that people who dont have to, actually made a conscious effort to support Black-owned businesses.

Being listed on the site also has led to conversations that were prickly and uncomfortable with a few other clients who said they do not consider race when making decisions about products and services, and questioned how drawing attention to race is helpful.

But Im OK with that, he said.

Pointing tostudiesshowing thatdiverse teams outperformnon-diverse teams in sports, academics and business, Taylor said part of his mission is to help communities recognize that the idea of diversity is not just a nice thing to do, or even just the right thing to do; its the thing to do if we really do want to push ahead and prosper, and have opportunities for future generations.

He sees the directory as especially important for a state like Maine.

This idea that you have this website, this listing that is saying, Hey look, weve got some diversity here, is going to be really important to attracting other people of different backgrounds to come and say, Well they can do it, maybe I can do it. Maybe theres some opportunity there.

Genius Black, who grew up in Texas and attended Bowdoin College in Brunswick, echoed this in a recent BOM podcast.

Black Owned Maine as a directory and a resource and as a brand is also helping the state of Maine stand up and represent itself as a place thatdoeshave people of color,doeshave Black people,doesconsider diversity, he said. Were going to bring money to this economy; people who wouldnt have felt comfortable coming here and spending their dollars and voting with their dollars.

Taylor said hes looking forward to connecting with other Black business owners in the state through events or meetings hosted by BOM. Hes already used the resource to find and visit another Black business on Mount Desert Island: the Quietside Cafe in Southwest Harbor.

Ultimate Car Care in Portland is also listed on the site. Its owner, Joe Kings, said hes pleased theres a directory to help Black businesses connect. He was part of a group that attempted to start a Maine Black business alliance about 20 years ago that never went anywhere.

We met in meetings and talked about it, but we just never could get it off the ground. So we just walked away from it, he said. But Im very proud of (BOM) being out there now.

Kings said he has been involved in many projects over the years dedicated to helping Black-owned or minority-owned businesses stimulate the economy and thrive. Ultimate Car Care has funded Portlands Juneteenth celebrations for 23 years.

He couldnt tell if being listed on the site has brought in more business because hes always been busy. He said he has a customer base that extends to Augusta and beyond and is often booked three weeks out.

Weve been doing this for about 25 years, and people just kind of know where to go, he said. Its hard to say (whether being listed on BOM has had an effect) because it just never stops.

Shawn Garner of Lewiston said highlighting successful Black businesses like Kings is important to inspire young Black entrepreneurs who may be surrounded by negative influences like he was, growing up in a high-crime area of Florida. Almost four years ago he ended up staying in Maine after what was supposed to be a short visit. The people he was traveling with left him behind.

When I came up here, I didnt know heroin was as big as it was, and I dont do (hard) drugs because Im an athlete, he said. He had laced a blunt with heroin. I wanted to fight him, and so he told me to catch a bus back to Florida.

Garner had no money for the trip so he started working at Hannaford in Gardiner, and for a while lived at Trinity Mens Shelter in Skowhegan. During that time, Garner kept telling himself he could do better, be better. So he decided to start his own business.

Outside of his various day and night jobs working security at bars in Portlands Old Port, as a manager at Hannaford and now as a FedEx driver he has built a clothing design business,Upstylish, specializing in shirts with inspirational quotes, and now face masks.

Garner mainly advertised by word of mouth, handing out business cards and wearing his T-shirts to the gym or his security jobs. When Barboza heardhis story, she asked him to join Black Owned Maine and is now helping him find stores that will carry his clothing.

Garner said he started Upstylish to show people who grew up in situations like his that there are options outside of crime. He sees Black Owned Maine as furthering that mission.

A lot of people from my neighborhood were either selling drugs or killing people or robbing people, he said. Having the website of Black-owned businesses of Maine can show a lot of young Black entrepreneurs that you can make money other ways, by being an entrepreneur, having a rap career, anything that youre good at.

Everybodys born with a gift. Thats what Black Owned Maine does. It teaches young Black entrepreneurs to thrive in their own gifts.

Another successful business listed on Black Owned Maine is Mogadishu Business Center and Restaurant in Lewiston. Its owner, Shukri Abasheikh, came to the United States from Somalia, where she had her own store, but lost it with her home during a civil war. She lived in Atlanta, then moved to Lewiston in 2002 with a wave of Somali arrivals.

Tensions were high that year. Then-mayorLaurier Raymond wrote an open letter asking Somali people to stop comingand said resettling them was straining the citys resources. Awhitesupremacistgroupprotestedin the city. At the time, Abasheikh defended herself and her fellow Somalis.

I say No, we do not come for welfare, we come for work, we come for peace, we come for education, she said. My dream is I work and my children get education.

While obstacles remain, there has been an outpouring of support for immigrants in the last 18 years, andstudiesshowthe economic benefits they brought to the area.

In 2006, Abasheikh was able to open the Mogadishu store after working as a high school janitor and at L.L. Bean. She has put the struggles of her early days in Lewiston behind her.

Everybody (likes) me, she said. They call me Mama Africa, Mama Shukri. We cook Somali food, we cook Somali tea. They come in, Black and white everybody (Theyre) happy, they try the food, I explain the food, they buy.

Abasheikh said directing support on Black businesses seemed unnecessary to her, especially as businesses with owners of all races are struggling.

Everybody needs support, not only Black businesses, she said. When (the coronavirus came) everybody (slowed) down, a lot of stores closed, Black and white, and everybody needs help.

Barbazo and Genius Black agree.

Thats something we keep pushing every day, Barboza said. Small business, whether Black-owned or not, is the driving force of the economy, especially here in a small state.

Barboza is compiling a directory of resources for the site that she hopes will be accessed by anyone, regardless of race, who wants to open or grow a business in the state.

By teaching people to focus on local Black business, were teaching them to focus on local business in general, Genius Black added. Black Owned Maine is really about supporting the economy of Maine.

But data shows the pandemic is hitting Black people especially hard. In June, Maine had the highest racial disparity in COVID-19 cases, with Black residents contracting the virus at 20 times the rate of white residents. While Black Mainers made up less than two percent of the population, they accounted for more than 22 percent of the positive cases. Most of those cases came fromimmigrant communitieswhere it was more common for people to live in crowded apartments without the ability to isolate, and to work in front-line jobs.

Now, with cases spiking throughout Maine, that disparity has dropped, but Black people are still affected at a disproportionate rate. As of Nov. 20, they made up 11 percent of COVID-19 cases in the state.

The economic impacts of the pandemic also have been greater and persisted longer for people of color, James Myall of the left-leaning Maine Center for Economic Policy,reported.

Based on his analysis of the latest U.S. Census and Maine Department of Labor data released Oct. 20, Myall found that different racial groups in Maine started with low unemployment before the pandemic, but unemployment among the Black workforce showed the greatest increase, peaking at about 30 percent in May, compared to 15 percent for the white unemployment rate. In August, 15 percent of the Black workforce was still unemployed compared to six percent of the white workforce.

A recent survey of immigrant business owners conducted by ProsperityME, a nonprofit dedicated to helping immigrants and refugees in Maine achieve financial stability, raised some red flags for its executive director, Claude Rwaganje.

Of 250 immigrant businesses the organization tried to contact many Black-owned only 125 were reachable. Of the 125 respondents, 60 percent did not apply for Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans, and Rwaganje said few applied for Maine Economic Recovery grants. He cited lack of information or assistance, language barriers, or incomplete record keeping and licensing as barriers to applying for pandemic relief.

Small Business Administration dataon PPP loans awarded through Aug. 8 is not complete when it comes to the race of recipients. Only about 2,500 of the 25,279 grant recipients listed answered the optional question on race. Of those that did, only 11, or 0.4 percent, indicated they were Black.

Im concerned that the fact that the majority were not able to submit a rapid response or recovery grant request, Rwaganje said. That is a warning for me, to see how theyre going to survive beyond this pandemic.

ProsperityME plans to conduct a more comprehensive survey to understand the impacts of the pandemic on Black immigrant businesses.

COVID impacts aside, many who use Black Owned Maines directory are looking to support Black businesses as a way to counteract some broader racial disparities that persist.

Something that gets overlooked is that its not just about stopping a bad thing from happening, Genius Black said. Its about counteracting the bad things that have been happening.

In Maine, over 53 percent of Black children lived in poverty compared to approximately 15 percent of white children in 2017, and only one-quarter of black people own their own homes, compared to three-quarters of white people. Black Mainers are six times more likely to be incarcerated than white Mainers and Black students are 2.4 times more likely to be suspended from school in Maine than white students, according to another report by Myall.

What we find about why people support Black Owned Maine and think about supporting companies like ours is that its a way to protest, said Genius Black. Its a way to say, Im going to use my resources, Im going to use whatever I have to (make) change. The economys going to flow regardless, so Im going to make sure that its flowing through Black folks.

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Online directory aims to help Black businesses thrive in nation's whitest state - PenBayPilot.com

The North East has historically suffered from poor transport connectivity within and between the seven states as well as with the rest of India and neighbouring countries. This has not only impeded everyday life and livelihoods but also regional development and national security. As China builds and consolidates its hold in its own border regions as well as neighbouring countries through highways across Asia and also Europe, India is lagging behind even in the homestead. The strategic location of the North East and the recent geopolitical developments in the region necessitate the creation of robust infrastructure and multimodal connectivity.

Poor transport connectivity in the North East is one of many reasons for its regional backwardness. This connectivity pertains to various modes and routes of transport facilitating the movement of persons and goods. It also pertains to transport within and between the seven sister states as also mainland India and neighbouring countries, including Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar, and China. The poor state of transport infrastructure and regional connectivity has adverse implications for tourism, trade, and commerce therein as well as the everyday possibilities for residents in terms of life and livelihoods. The scarcity of all-weather roads continues to be one of the biggest infrastructural deficits in the region, whereas rail, water, and air connectivity are yet to receive the thrust they require.

The origins of poor connectivity in the North East may be traced back to the British move to separate Burma (now Myanmar) from British India in 1935 (Srikanth 2016). This decision created a forced political divide in an ethnically and economically contiguous geographical area. It severely disrupted the lines of communication, and dislocated trade and the lives of communities on either side of the artificial border. However, till the time of independence, the region enjoyed easy railway connectivity up to the port of Chittagong and the rest of the subcontinent through Sylhet. In addition, thevibrant inland waterways, especially in the Brahmaputra and Barak rivers, contributed to ease of transportation. There also existed innumerable functional military airstrips all over the region. As a matter of fact, the stupendous allied effort to build a road from Ledo in Assam to Kunming in China was one of the biggest wartime road-building efforts ever witnessed. Known in history as the Stilwell Road, after American General Joseph Stilwell, it stands testimony to the grit and determination to build a road in one of the most inhospitable terrains of the world.

The partition of the country further, and much more fundamentally, disrupted regional connectivity. The loss of access to the port of Chittagongimpeded approach to the sea, whereas roads, railways, and waterways that once provided easy access to Sylhet, Comilla, and Noakhali simply vanished overnight. The region became landlocked and had to learn to live with this partition-inherited legacy of remoteness and inaccessibility. Post-independence, infrastructure development in the North East has been stymied due to the abject lack of strategic thinking and an absence of political will and motivation. Geopolitical developments added to the connectivity woes of the region. Inland waterways practically disappeared, and the Stilwell Road fell into disuse until it was reclaimed by the tropical jungles. The numerous military airstrips were never made functional post independence.

Strategic Concerns

While the remoteness of the north-eastern states is generally well known, what is lesser known is the fact that more than 98% of the regions borders are shared with foreign countries. This includes a nearly 4,097 kilometres (km) long border with Bangladesh, 3,488 km with China, 1,751 km with Nepal, 1,643 km with Myanmar, and 699 km with Bhutan. The geographical connection with the rest of India is confined to a narrow strip of land, called the Siliguri Corridor, which is about 200 km long and 60 km wide. At its narrowest, it is just 17 km wide, thereby obtaining the derisive epithet chickens neck.

The strategic location of the region need not be emphasised. For instance, as an active theatre of World WarII, the North East not only saw intense military action but also the defeat of Japan is said to have begun after its debacle in this sector. The SinoIndian War of 1962 and the IndoPak War of 1971 that led to the creation of Bangladesh, also had this region as their primary theatre. In this region, the fortunes of many an army were determined by the twin factors of logistics and supply chain. The recent stand-off in Ladakh or the earlier one in Doklam have yet again reinforced the need to urgently scale up connectivity and infrastructure in the North East.

While the imperative need to ensure good connectivity between the North East and the rest of the country is well acknowledged, the abject lack of strategic thinking is intriguing. For instance, Pushpita Das (2009) discusses the post-1959 scenario in SinoIndian border relations, after China made its claim on Arunachal Pradesh. The border dispute that followed prompted the Government of India to hand over the task of road construction in the state to the army albeit with acurious caveat. No roads and airfields were to be made within 30 miles of the border, such as to inhibit easy connectivitybetween the border areas and interior ones in case of an attack. However, as Das (2009) goes on to point out, events on the frontier proved the exact opposite, as the Indian response to the Chinese aggression of 1962 was, in fact, severely hampered by the lack of proper communication and logistics.

Moreover, connectivity projects with high strategic value, such as roads, bridges, petroleum refineries, and gas cracker projects, often had to be demanded and obtained from the stateby popular agitation. For instance, the Dhola Sadiya Bridge, inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2018 (Indian Express 2018), was born out of the Assam Agitation. An actionable clause of the Assam Accord, 1985, marking the end of the Assam agitation, it nevertheless took 33 years to become a reality. It bears mentioning that this bridgethe longest in Indiahas given the country tremendous strategic advantage. The completion of the two bridges over the Brahmaputrathe Dhola Sadiya Bridge and the Bogibeel Bridgehas come not a moment too soon. WhileIndia took 33 years to build one bridge, the Chinese side has executed impressive roads and railway lines close to the Indian side.

Das (2009: 10607) elaborates,

China has been building roads to consolidate its hold over border regions and integrate them. This has been especially so in Tibet, which borders India (along Arunachal Pradesh). Today, Tibet has five NHs (national highways) along with 15 trunk highways and 315 feeder roads. The whole length of highways open to traffic in Tibet is more than 40,000 km. In addition to construction of highways and other trunk roads, China has also built frontier defence patrol roads of 15,000 plus km.

China has laid a railway line in Lhasa, the capital of Tibet, in 2006, with a daily train service between Beijing and Lhasa ever since.

Das (2009: 107) continues

Further, it has also embarked upon the project of extending these lines of transportation across its borders (especially Myanmar, Bangladesh and Nepal) Chinas plan to access the Bay of Bengal via the Irrawady Corridor is one such initiative. This involves the construction and upgrading of the Burma Road from Kunming to Mandalay to Ruili and the improvement of the railway line from Dali to Ruili (and also) major road construction projects in Putao, Bhamo, Pangsai, etc. In Bangladesh, China is planning toaccess Chittagong port by constructing a road from Kunming to Chittagong through Mandalay.

China has also been generous inproviding assistance to its other neighbours, Thailand and Mongolia, apart from Myanmar, to build roads, ports, and rail connectivity not only within their own countries but also linking back to China. It has used its clout with funding agencies like the Asian Development Bank to bankroll some of these projects (Srikanth 2016). In addition to the Asian Highway, its One Belt One Road project is probably the most ambitious and seeks to link Asia with Europe. This raises serious concerns for India. There are also legitimate fears that the fine print in project finance by international (including Chinese) bodies often entails insidious clauses that may be used to jeopardise the sovereignty of the aid/loan-receiving nation, as is becoming evident in many African nations (Chiwanza 2018; Love 2018) and even Sri Lanka (Roy Chaudhury 2019). China, in recent years, has also acquired outright ownership, development rights, or a management concession to a bevy of strategically located ports in Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Djibouti, the Maldives, the Seychelles, and recently Iran, what strategy planners call the Chinese String of Pearls (Johnson 2020).

The pressure is certainly on India to connect the hitherto unconnected areas of the North East to the rest of the country, through air, rail, and an extensive network of all-weather roads. As the gains of Chinas proactive policy and ties with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) become known, it is only logical for India to activate interregional and subregional forums likeASEAN, the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation, the BangladeshChinaIndiaMyanmar Economic Corridor, MekongGanga Cooperation, etc. Indian aid in the completion of the 160-km-long TamuKalewaKalemyo sector of the proposed IndiaMyanmarThailand Trilateral Highway that seeks to link the three countries is a case in point.

The Trans Asian Scene

As far as road links are concerned, the Asian Highway project has an important implication for the north-eastern states of India. Of the two priority Asian Highway routes, one passes through Iran, Pakistan, and India, meeting Nepal at Banbasa and re-entering India at Siliguri, then proceeding onto Imphal via Bangladesh, and finally extending to Myanmar. Another part of this project is the creation of regional and subregional routes. This is done by identifying some major corridors, which are then sought to be transformed into regional transport networks that connect all significant ports, capital cities, and underserved areas with significant potentials for trade therein.

Some of the high-potential corridors thus identified include the north-east of India and Bangladesh. This includes the GuwahatiSiliguriRaiganjCalcutta corridor and the KathmanduBirganjKolkata route. As part of this project, India has requested Myanmar for access to its territory through the Kaladan river to reach Akyab port in the Bay of Bengal. Though the river begins 50 km away from Aizawl, it covers a long stretch of nearly 150 km in Myanmar before meeting the Bay of Bengal at Akyab. It is opined that if this happens, India will be able to transport goods by river from Kolkata to Mizoram from where they can be further carried to other places through roadways. India has also laid much importance on the Kaladan project to link Sittwe (the port capital of Rakhine province) with the North East through the Kaladan river, and establish road links between Kalewa and Aizawl. There would, of course, be a direct sea link from Sittwe (Akyab), reportedly one of the few good natural harbours, although not quite at the level of Trincomalee.

It should be of special import to policymakers that China is building a new deep-sea water port not far from Sittwe, which will take energy (oil and gas), and connect and transport (over major highways) from the Bay of Bengal to Kunming, over 1,000 km away. As it were, China has emerged as the worlds largest energy consumer and net importer, making it imperative to ensure international energy cooperation, building new energy corridors and supply channels. This would necessarily involve diversifying energy corridors and energy import regions to ensure Chinas energy strategic security (Guo et al 2019). Undoubtedly, the Chinese, through strategic proactive measures, have developed a distinct and major advantage over India, which is seen as trying to play catch-up with its great neighbour, but lagging far behind. The new sea port is of critical concern to Indias as well as the worlds economic, energy, and security interests, as it gives China direct access to the Bay of Bengal. It will also enable China to access and exert control over the Straits of Malacca. This could easily pose a threat to the energy security of the region as container ships have to traverse through the straits. It could challenge the United States control over Malacca and therein poses the potential of destabilising the status quo. The new China-built port is capable of docking large tankers and heavy ships, both cargo and potentially military in nature. In contrast, Sittwe is not a deep-sea water port. Thus, it is apparent that India has been outmanoeuvred byChina again.

It is possible that India might get the short end of the stick even with regard to the Stilwell Road. As it were, Stilwell is the shortest road from India to China via Myanmar and is a mere 773 km long from Ledo in India to Wanding in Yunnan province. After World WarII, this road fell into disuse and the area has since turned into a bed of insurgency in India and Myanmar. Kaustubh Deka (2019: 6) demonstrates the stark contrast where, on the one hand, in India, the discourse continues to be dominated by concerns of national security from above and ethnonationalism from below; a heady mix that creates a policy myopia. Whereas, on the other, China has developed the Yunnan sector and the Chinese stretch of the Stilwell Road into a six-lane highway (Pattnaik 2016), now advertised as a tourist attraction (Trans-Asia Discovery nd), while the Myanmar part of it is in bad shape, but can be repaired. About 80 km of the Stilwell Road inIndia, that is, from Ledo to the border in Arunachal Pradesh, is in good condition. With a little initiative, this road may be made operational.

The point to be noted is that all throughout, Stilwell provided access to regions, spanning three countries, with a thin population base. With the exception of Mytkyina, capital of the Kachin state in Myanmar, there are no major townships on the IndoMyanmar stretch. The Allied Forces used the road for transporting gasoline, military hardware, and food for troops. It had not been used for civilian and commercial purposes. So careful planning is required for creating infrastructure, and servicing the linkages in three entirely different political regimes to make it a success. But the most important stakeholders and potential beneficiaries are the north-eastern states, especially Assam, Nagaland, and Arunachal Pradesh, which will directly benefit from the international road access.

Road Connectivity in the North East

Roads, the most basic of transportinfrastructure in the modern era, arealso highly underdeveloped in the North East. The volume, length, and quality of roads are all wanting. For instance,Assam has a total road length of some 69,000 km (both metalled and non-metalled surface), which accounts for 60% of the total road length of north-eastern India. Yet, both within the state as well as in relation to connectivity with other states of the North East, there is much to be done in the state. Every year, floods and erosion wreak havoc on Assams national highways and arterial roads. Till date, there has been no solution forthcoming. There also are huge concerns about the quality of roads constructed. Almost 75% of the roads in the region are unsurfaced roads. The largest state, Arunachal Pradesh (28.32%), followed by the most populated state, Assam (16.94%), both rank abysmally in the category of surfaced roads as against Meghalaya (46.26%), or the national average (56.68%) (Das 2009).

The North Eastern Council (NEC), the regions nodal development agency, has identified 47 roads with high strategic and economic importance in the entire region (GoInd). These roads, approximating to a total length of 1,665.75 km, were identified in consultation with the regions state governments. It is, however, unclear where the budgetary allocation for the same would be made from as theNEChas sanctioned only 615 km of roads for construction (Times of India2017). However, the author suggests that the recommended roads be differentially categorised and executed under different schemes and policies to ensure speedy completion. While some qualify as roads leading to the international boundary, others include interstate roads as well as intrastate roads of strategic and economic importance. While some can be implemented by the North East Road Sector Development Scheme (NERSDS), others can be carried out by the North East Special Infrastructure Development Scheme.

A major challenge in the sustenance of road connectivity in the region pertains to maintenance. After the construction and contractually mandated maintenance period of four to five years is over, the said road is normally transferred to the respective state government for maintenance. In most cases, it is seen that the states find it impossible to allocate the requisite funds for proper upkeep of the roads. However, maintenance of roads is imperative, more so in hilly regions. The rate of deterioration of roads in the region is rapid due to the topography, heavy and long spells of rainfall, fragile geology, etc. Thus, until and unless a proper mechanism for road maintenance is developed or sufficient funding on a rolling basis allocated by the central government, it would be almost impossible to ensure good quality roads in the region. A few suggestions on this front include: (i) setting aside at least 10% of theNECsbudget for the transport and communication sector for maintenance of the regions roads, and (ii) the setting up of regional road research institutes in any of the state capitals to innovate and find sustainable solutions for the regions unique geological challenges; the region, as part of the Sivalik Himalayas, has soils that are mostly laterite, weathered shale, and composed of boulders and sand, prone to sinking and landslides.

The road sector in the North East also suffers from other on-site issues, which includes the shortage of construction materials and equipments. This problem can be easily overcome with the creation of material banks in all states. In case of the absence of large players to do so, the idea of group consortiums, either individually or through the publicprivate partnership model, could provide a way forward. Further, the capacity of local entrepreneurs needs to be enhanced with support provisions, such as equipment banks and soft loans. This practice has shown promising results in quite a few parts of the world as shown by studies done by the International Labour Organization (2010).

Technology in road construction has seen major advancement in recent times. It is time that industry best practices become the standard in India, especially in the North East. There seems to be some thinking along these lines in the government, reflected in some of the major recommendations of theNITIAayogs Three Year Action Agenda (201720) with regards to connectivity issues in the region. To start with, it has recommended proactive assistance and cooperation from state governments along with capacity building in the relevant departments of the states. It is time that specialised agencies like the Central Road Research Institute (CRRI) be engaged in providing solutions for the North East on road construction and maintenance issues. TheCRRIcould also be roped in for conducting capacity building and evaluation in the region. The resources of specialised entities, such as the National Highways andInfrastructure Development Corporation, whose presence in the north-eastern region remains largely nominal, must be greatly augmented.

In this regard, it may be opportuneto start specialised courses on road construction-related subjects, and refresher courses for professionals and functionaries in this sector. For this purpose, it may be possible to seek the assistance of regional institutes of technological studies with the support of the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH). Moreover, expert bodies, like the Indian Road Congress, can be encouraged to provide on-site mentoring and handholding supportto road engineers and builders. Multilateral funding agencies engaged ininfrastructure development in the region should also be encouraged to incorporate capacity building of local engineers and contractors as part of their terms of review and agreements.

Connecting Eastern South Asia

The vibrant pre-independence inland water transport system of the region has been allowed to atrophy over the decades. The Brahmaputra river, the main artery of the North East, has been declared the second national waterway of the country. Yet, follow-up action on capitalising over this medium has been tardy. Assams waterway network via the Brahmaputra gives the state access to the ports of Chittagong in Bangladesh, Kolkata and Haldia in West Bengal. With greater coordination between the different north-eastern states, Assam could emerge as the major trade hub of eastern South Asia. Better road connectivity with Bhutan and greater reliance on the use of the Brahmaputra to bolster trade with Bangladesh could also bring about major gains. Studies have shown that about 25% of the in-transit traffic (at present some 25 million tonnes of freight move to and from the north-eastern states and the rest of India) could be diverted through Bangladesh with minimum investment. Transit facilities, through Bangladesh, to goods from the rest of India and from the North East would greatly benefit the former country as well, apart from substantially reducing transportation costs. India should impress upon Bangladesh to provide access to the Chittagong port for facilitating the movement of goods from Assam and the north-eastern region.

Similarly, improved rail and road connectivity between the two countries would also be mutually beneficial. The restoration of the MahisasanShahbazpur railway traffic between India and Bangladesh could provide a major boost in the movement of goods between the two countries. The process of opening up the inland waterways with Bangladesh and the declaration of Jogighopa, Ashuganj, and Karimganj as ports of call to facilitate such river traffic could be done immediately. If Bangladesh emerges as a major trade partner in the coming years, the reopening of the KarimganjSylhetDhaka road for the transportation of goods would need to be seriously considered. Although the prospects of trade with Bangladesh have improved in recent years, the issues of illegal migration into Assam and other north-eastern states as well as the potential presence of anti-India insurgents in Bangladesh have clouded the bilateral relationship. Each side has strong prejudices against the other, notwithstanding the fact that the two nations have so much in common to share (Bhattacharya 2019). Both sides must resolve to address these issues for trade cannot flourish in an atmosphere of suspicion and doubt.

With the aim of developing better road connectivity to border areas, development of coastal roads, including road connectivity for non-major ports, improvement in the efficiency of national corridors, development of economic corridors, inter corridors and feeder routes, along with integration with Sagarmala, etc, have been initiated under the Bharatmala Pariyojana. The central government plans to develop about 26,000 km of economic corridors, along with the Golden Quadrilateral (GQ) and NorthSouth and EastWest (NSEW) corridors. In addition, about 8,000 km of inter corridors and about 7,500 km of feeder routes have been identified for improving the effectiveness of economic corridors,GQandNSEWcorridors (GoI2020).

Unfortunately, not a single National Highways Development Project (NHDP) component covers the IndiaBangladesh border custom points. India should take the initiative to make operational the trans-shipment of goods from the north-eastern region to mainland India and vice versa, through Bangladeshs territory. The Customs Act, 1962 already has provisions for the transportation of goods from one part of India to another through a foreign territory under the Transportation of Goods (Through Foreign Territory) Regulations, 1965. In this regard, it needs mention that India has already extended transit facilities for goods imported by Bangladesh from Nepal and vice versa, through the Phulbari Land Customs Station (LCS) in West Bengal. In reciprocation, the Bangladesh government, too, has allowed transit facility to goods shipped from the North East to our mainland and vice versa by their riverine route under the Protocol on Inland Water Transit and Trade.

The National Transport Development Policy Committee (2012) of the Planning Commission detailed the need to develop a multimodal transport infrastructure in the North East, suggesting a concerted effort for the improvements in connectivity between Assam and other north-eastern states as well as neighbouring countries. Experts in the region concur with these views and propose that work in some of the identified areas should be implemented as quickly as possible, such as: (i) opening of the Stillwell Road linking Myanmar and China on a priority basis; (ii) reopening of the KarimganjSylhetDhaka road for transportation; (iii) extension of the AmguriMokokchungTuensang road linking Assam with Myanmar; (iv) extension of the Sibasagar, SonariNemtola Road from AssamNagaland border to Lungwa in Myanmar; (v) introducing bus services between GuwahatiImphalMandalay, GuwahatiDhaka via Shillong, and GuwahatiTuraDhaka; (vi) restoration of the MahisasanShahbazpur railway traffic between Assam and Bangladesh to facilitate export of goods like coal, limestone, food items, and agro-based products to Bangladesh from Assam; (vii) creation of an air travel circuit between Assam, Bhutan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Myanmar, China, Thailand, and Singapore, so as to increase exports and encourage tourism; (viii) opening up and improving inland waterways between Assam and Bangladesh through a number of river ports; and (ix) negotiating with the Governments of Bangladesh and Myanmar to provide access to Chittagong and Mandalay ports for the export and import of goods. The task force has also recommended the development of border towns and trade centres at all majorLCS.

Furthermore, Indias engagement with Myanmar should be both widened and deepened. As it were, India is helping Myanmar in the development of its infrastructure. In February 2001, Jaswant Singh, Indias then external affairs minister, inaugurated the 160-km-long TamuKalewaKalemyo road. The National Highway 39, which terminates at Moreh (Manipur), was extended to join this road, such that it now links Moreh to Kalemyo in central Myanmar. Kalewa will get further linked to Mandalay once the MonywaYargyiMyomaKalewa road project is completed. Monywa is already connected to Mandalay. Later, India signed a memorandum of understanding with Myanmar by which it undertook responsibility for the maintenance of the road for its first six years. Later, a trilateral project was signed, which would connect Moreh to Mae Sot (Thailand), passing through Bagan (Myanmar). India has also undertaken the Kaladan (River) Project for which Rail India Technical and Economic Services completed a survey in June 2002. A gas pipeline is planned along the Kaladan river from Nengpui in southern Mizoram to Sittwe port. A multinodal transport from Mizoram to Sittwe can provide an alternative outlet to the sea for the North East, in addition to transit through Chittagong.

Apart from infrastructure, Indias engagement with Myanmar has to be scaled up, especially with regard to cooperation in softer areas, such as education and health, which would provide long-term dividends for India. It must be noted that China is helping the Myanmar government with setting up a telecommunications network in northern Myanmar. Strategically, it should set alarm bells ringing in India. China and Myanmar have exchanged high-level visits, with Myanmars northern cities, like Mandalay, undergoing slow demographic changes due to the influx of Chinese immigrants from Yunnan province. China plans to build a 1,350 km railway line through Laos, Myanmar, and Kunming (China), going up to Bangkok. The rail network from Myitkyina near the Chinese border to Yangon via Mandalay has brought remote areas together and opened up Myanmar to Chinese economic expansion. The development of infrastructure serves both the purpose of expanding trade and military interests.

Hurdles and Hopes

Inordinate delays in the implementation of infrastructure projects is a major constraint in ensuring proper connectivity in the region. Time and cost overruns and the inability to ensure quality constitutes major bottlenecks. Planners have often sought to highlight the difficulties in ensuring the growth of connectivity and infrastructure in the North East, in terms of land acquisition, forest and environment clearance, social unrest, and an adverse law and order situation. In other words, the existence of multiple stakeholders, both state and non-state actors, and a multi-tiered government structure in the Scheduled Areas, such as the district councils, traditional bodies, and village councils, further complicates the matter.

As Rocky Ziipao (2019) notes, the larger the number of stakeholders involved, the deeper the corruption. He alludes to the nexus of the unholy trinity of politicians, bureaucrats, and contractors in project implementation. They procure and share cuts in each project, which ultimately results in work quality being heavily compromised. Apart from bribery from project funds, they also influence which projects go through and which do not. Often the criteria behind these projects are narrowly based on cost and benefit considerations. For instance, the reluctance to build roads in sparsely populated areas is often justified on the imbalance of cost of construction vis--vis value of benefits. It is due to this kind of perverted logic that the strategic border state of Arunachal Pradesh has some of the most pathetic road connectivity in the country (Das 2009).

Thus, rationalising systems and ensuring accountability and transparency is paramount, as is also discarding outrageous rules like the one that does not allow the procurement of sand, chips, and ballast, locally by the railways. Out of the box solutions are both available and necessary. For instance, the lack of individual local contractors in the region with requisite skills, machinery, and financial strength can be overcome by creating consortiums of multi-stakeholder project teams that should also incorporate the local community. Community involvement in project implementation could be a game changer. Apart from ensuring immediate economic benefits for the community during the period of implementation, it could also ensure social insurance and public support for projects. Proper division of responsibilities and a transparent system that ensures benefits to the community can deal a body blow to the corrupt nexus that currently operates.

Large-scale infrastructural projects, even though essential to the growth of a region, inevitably entail social and environmental costs. For instance, the proposed extension of the railway network to the Khasi Hills in Meghalaya continues to be contested on the issue of tribal rights, threats to identity, and the fear of huge unregulated influx of outsiders (Deka 2019). Given that the north-eastern region is a biodiversity hotspot and has a fragile ecology coupled with existence of numerous distinct indigenous communities with small populations, large infrastructure projects have to be implemented with care and empathy. Often, the preservation of culture and ecology is positioned as dichotomous to infrastructure projects and development. This need not necessarily be an either/or proposition. The Indian Constitution has done a commendable job of ensuring the protection and development of its smallest tribes and communities. There is no reason why infrastructure projects and development schemes cannot be designed to ensure a similar outcome.

Studies on infrastructure may be used as a theoretical lens to understand the related issues of hope, anxiety, disrepair, citizenship, and governance (Kikon and McDuie-Ra 2017). This may be particularly true of the North East, where a complex interplay of factors have determined infrastructure building. As Deka (2019) has noted, the concept of infrastructure are linked to ideas of social and ethnic identities, espoused in the persistent opposition to extension of railway lines to the Khasi hills of Meghalaya over fears of influx of outsiders. However, I contend, this understanding not only imposes spatial limitations but also creates and consolidates boundaries and borders.

Better connectivity is important not only for strategic and geopolitical reasons but also for economic considerations. The strength of the country would be determined by its economic robustness and the North East certainly has the potential to emerge as an important driver in reviving the Indian economy. Here, it would be important to ensure that sustainable and inclusive growth practices become institutionalised. However, this would not be possible without improving connectivity.

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Johnson, Keith (2020): China Leaps into Breach between Myanmar and West,Foreign Policy,29 January,https://foreignpolicy.com/2020/01/29/china-leaps-between-myanmar-west-india-XI-VISIT/.

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Connectivity Issues in the North East - Economic and Political Weekly

Last month, Michigan officials announced plans to shut down acontroversial oil pipeline that runs below the Great Lakes at the Straits of Mackinac. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Attorney General Dana Nessel, both Democrats, cited several reasons for the decision, including one that got the attention of tribal leaders in Michigan who have been fighting the pipeline foryears.

In the shutdown order, Whitmer referenced an 1836 treaty in which tribal nations ceded more than athird of the territory that would become Michigan in exchange for the right to hunt and fish on the land in perpetuity. An oil spill from the pipeline would destroy the states ability to honor that right, Whitmersaid.

Federal and state officials signed nearly 400 treaties with tribal nations in the 18th and 19th centuries. Threatened by genocidal violence, the tribes signed away much of their land. But they secured promises that they could continue to hunt, fish and gather wild food on the territory they were giving up. Many treaties also include cash payments, mineral rights and promises of health care andeducation.

For the most part, the U.S. has ignored its obligations. Game wardens have targeted and arrested tribal members seeking to exercise their hunting and fishing rights. Governments and private interests have logged and developed on hunting grounds, blocked and polluted waterways with dams and destroyed vast beds of wildrice.

If Native treaty rights had been honored, the natural landscape of the U.S. might look very differenttoday.

Catastrophic disruption to the natural world has taken place. The world would be a very different place if the treaties had been honored.

In recent years, some courts, political leaders and regulators have decided its time to start honoring those treaty obligations. Some legal experts think that asserting these rights could preventor even reverseenvironmentaldegradation.

Bryan Newland, chair of the Bay Mills Indian Community in Michigans Upper Peninsula, said Whitmers order was the first time he had seen political leaders cite treaty rights to support adecision instead of being forced to recognize those rights by acourt.

It is always astruggle to get state governments to recognize the existence of our treaties, our rights and their responsibilities to not impair those rights, he said. Its not enough to recognize our right to harvest. State governments have aresponsibility to stop harming and degrading this fishery. This was abig step in tribal-staterelations.

Attorney Bill Rastetter, who represents the Grand Taverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians, another Michigan tribe, said tribal members invoking atreaty can make astronger legal claim than non-Native citizens raising the same issue as an environmentalcomplaint.

With environmental claims, there is sometimes abalancing test thats applied between the potential harm and potential good, said Rastetter, who has been part of efforts opposing the pipeline in Michigan. But when youre dealing with the diminishment of aright reserved by tribes, there ought not to be that balancingtest.

Still, tribes have mostly used treaty rights claims to play defense against new infringements by developers and polluters. Some tribal members say new treaty violations are surfacing faster than old ones are being corrected. And it would be apainstaking process to use treaty rights to make adent in centuries worth of construction, resource extraction and government practices conditioned to ignore thoserights.

Some legal experts are also wary about making sweeping treaty assertions, for fear that coming up short could set adangerousprecedent.

Theres been an effort to try to be careful about what you give acourt the chance to decide, Rastetter said. If they decide against you, you might not get another bite at the apple. We have to not just have aclaim, but we have to go through the pragmatic analysis of how it may workout.

And many political leaders remain hostile to tribal sovereignty. South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, aRepublican, has sought to prevent tribes in her state from setting up COVID-19 safety checkpoints on the roads entering theirreservations.

Meanwhile, the wording of many treaties leaves the fulfillment of some rights open to interpretation, and with Justice Amy Coney Barrett replacing Ruth Bader Ginsberg on the U.S. Supreme Court, the recent spate of favorable judicial rulings could be injeopardy.

Still at the TailEnd

The foundation for contemporary treaty claims is alandmark 1974 case known as the Boldt decision, aruling issued in afederal district court and upheld by an appeals court. The case affirmed that tribes in Washington state have aright to fish for salmon in off-reservation waters. It forced the state to abandon its attempts to block Native fishing, making the tribes co-managers of Washingtons fisheries along with state wildlifeofficials.

We can't continue our lifeway if that river dies, if the fish go extinct, and that's whats happening. The last generation of Indian people's fight was just for the right. My generation's fight is to conserve the resource on which the right is based. If we don't have any fish, what good is the right?

It started bringing to light the fact that these treaties arent ancient history, said John Echohawk, founder and executive director of the Native American Rights Fund, atribal advocacy group that successfully litigated the case. Theyre the supreme law of the land. If the courts are going to be enforcing those rights, [political leaders] have got to payattention.

Treaty rights earned another milestone victory in 2018, with another case involving Washington tribes that reached the U.S. Supreme Court. That year, the court ordered the state to rip out and replace about 1,000 culverts that blocked the passage of migrating salmon, at acost of billions of dollars. The ruling held that Washington couldnt uphold its treaty obligations to the tribes simply by allowing access to waters where it had already destroyed thefishery.

Legal experts say that decision has changed the landscapemotivating political leaders in many states to consider whether their decisions could affect treaty-protected hunting, fishing or gatheringrights.

You cant have ameaningful right to take fish without fish, said Riyaz Kanji, aleading Indian law attorney based in Michigan, and afounding member of the firm that successfully argued the culvert case. The notion that tribal treaty rights should be factored into government decision-making is gaining increasingcurrency.

The strength of that argument was on display again last month, when leaders in Oregon and California announced plans to remove four dams on the Klamath River. The dam removal will reopen hundreds of miles of the Klamath and its tributaries to restore the rivers dwindling salmon runs. Amy Cordalis, general counsel and member of Californias Yurok Tribe, said tribal fishing rights played apivotal role in forcing the states toact.

We cant continue our lifeway if that river dies, if the fish go extinct, and thats whats happening, Cordalis said. The last generation of Indian peoples fight was just for the right. My generations fight is to conserve the resource on which the right is based. If we dont have any fish, what good is theright?

Restorative justice was a key reason for the dam removal, Richard Whitman, director of the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, said in astatement provided to Stateline. These tribes have suffered repeated efforts to take their land, their waters, and their fisheries, and restoring afree-flowing river is ahistoric reversal that will begin to move the basin back to sustainability forall.

Regulators at state and federal agencieswhich make thousands of permitting decisions about development, resource use and environmental compliancehave begun taking notice aswell.

In 2016, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers rejected aproposed coal export terminal in Washington state not far from the Canadian border. The port, just north of the Lummi Nation reservation, would have brought giant freighters into waters where Lummi people have fished for thousands of years and have rights to fish today. Those opposed to the terminal also worried about disturbances to archaeological sites and pollution from coaldust.

The U.S. governmentas an immigrantcame to us in 1855 and entered into apartnership, said Jay Julius, aformer chair of the Lummi Nation who was serving as acouncil member at the time of the coal terminal battle. Weve been faced with afailure to honor the contract, the treaty, the supreme law of the land. Catastrophic disruption to the natural world has taken place. The world would be avery different place if the treaties had beenhonored.

We werent at the table as this pollution-based economy was being developed. What were witnessing right now is were actually at the table, but were still at the tailend.

Regulators and courts dont always give the same credence to treaty claims. The Army Corps approved construction of acontroversial section of the Dakota Access Pipeline in 2017 despite concerns it could jeopardize water, fishing and hunting rights for the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe in South Dakota. The pipeline battle has gone back and forth in the courts. It was completed and began operating in 2017, but ajudge earlier this year shut down the pipeline to allow further environmentalreview.

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OtherBattles

While much of tribes recent progress has centered around environmental issues, treaty claims on several other fronts could reshape the U.S. governments relationship with Nativetribes.

Earlier this year, ajudge ruled that federal agencies violated their treaty obligations when they shut down an emergency room on the Rosebud Sioux reservation in South Dakota. The U.S. pledged to provide health care to the tribe in 1868 when tribal leaders signed atreaty surrendering much of theirland.

One of the great misconceptions is that these treaty rights were some sort of gift or act of kindness from the federal government, said Brendan Johnson, aformer U.S. attorney who represented the tribe in the case. In reality, these were bargained rights given to tribes to cease military actions. The tribes paid dearly in blood and treasure by way of land. We do find ourselves in the midst of atime where treaty rights are being more respectedat least by the courtsystem.

Many tribes have similar health care provisions in their treaties, which the federal government largely tries to honor by funding the Indian Health Service. Advocates say the agency is severely underfunded, and its been plagued with scandals. For years, IHS hired dozens of doctors with ahistory of malpractice, leading to disastrous consequences. It has also come under fire for mishandling sex abuseallegations.

Johnson said the problems at IHS could represent atreaty violation, but tribes have been so overwhelmed with fighting the Covid-19 pandemicwhich has had adevastating toll in Indian Countrythat the issue has yet to come forward as alegal case.

[Native] health care has been embarrassingly inadequate, he said. We need Congress to be aware of this and to take action to fully fund tribal healthsystems.

Kanji, the Indian law expert, said he expects to see tribes pushing to reassert regulatory and jurisdictional authority on their own reservations, where many have seen key matters of sovereignty handed to outsideauthorities.

The courts over time have chipped away at tribal powers on reservations, he said. Theres real tension between what the courts have done and what the courts are saying now. There will be achance to revivify tribal authority withinreservations.

Some of that hope stems from the U.S. Supreme Courts landmark McGirt Decision, issued earlier this year. The ruling recognized Native reservations across much of Oklahoma that had long been treated as defunct by state and federal authorities, amajor win for those who argue that treaties arent just ancient history. In effect, the decision prevents Native defendants from being tried in state courts for crimes committed onreservations.

LookingAhead

Some tribal leaders are hopeful that treaty rights could see even greater recognition when President-elect Joe Biden takesoffice.

We would like to see an administrative process where they have to examine the impact of an action on our treaty rights so that we can avoid a [legal battle] like the [Washington state] culverts case, said Newland, the Bay Mills chairman. Theres absolutely nothing to stop an executive branch agency from adopting this as its ownpolicy.

Bidens pledge to select adiverse cabinet has also drawn praise. Many are hopeful he will choose New Mexico Democratic Rep. Deb Haaland, amember of the Laguna Pueblo tribe, to lead the Interior Department, which oversees government programs relating to NativeAmericans.

Treaty claims will still face significant obstacles, including acourt system shaped by President Donald Trumps record appointment of judges. Even in cases where the tribes have won, progress has been slow. Lawmakers in Washington have yet to provide adequate funding to replace the culverts as ordered by the courts. Courts may find that health care shortcomings violate treaty rights, but its difficult to make improvements without Congress providing more money to the Indian HealthService.

Undoing whats already been done could prove difficult. Its been 40years since the Supreme Court ruled that the U.S. illegally stole South Dakotas Black Hills from the Sioux Nation in violation of their treaty agreement. Instead of returning the land, the court ordered apayment of $100 million in reparations. The tribe has refused to accept the paymentsaying it will settle for no less than the restoration of the landbut there are no signs the territory is close to changinghands.

Still, some Natives say theyve been heartened by the focus on racial injustice spurred by the Black Lives Matter protests, and by the 2016 protests against the Dakota Access Pipeline, which brought international attention to tribal sovereignty. And many find optimism when they envision what the landscape could look like if their rights were finallyhonored.

What does the world look like if those treaty rights are protected? asked Cordalis, the Yurok attorney. We start healing our environment and start seeing things being put back togetherhealthy ecosystems, clean water, healthy forests and rivers. You would start seeing the planet regenerating itself. Its one way we start pulling ourselves out of the climate crisis. We start asserting rights that protectnature.

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Recognition of Native Treaty Rights Could Reshape the Environmental Landscape - In These Times

Each year in September, workplace mental health nonprofit One Mind at Work hosts an annual convening that gathers the most influential employers, innovators, advocates and researchers in workplace mental health for a programme of inspiring discourse on challenges, solutions, best practices and employee experience.

In 2020, as workforces around the world continue to endure novel challenges, more than 250 global leaders took part in a two-day virtual conference that focused on critical issues for employers. As a strategic partner of the World Economic Forum, we are sharing the top-five key learnings from the One Mind at Work Global Forum that employers can use to make a difference in coping with the mental health fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic.

1. Employers are facing a moment of reckoning for employee wellbeing

The momentum behind workplace mental health programmes had been building before March 2020, but the 'perfect storm of stressors' that the pandemic brought disconnected working environments, financial stress, and anxiety about health and safety has changed the equation for employers as it relates to managing their employees mental health. As Susan Podlogar from MetLife explained, the stakes have risen, as employees report shockingly high rates of stress, burnout and depression that must be addressed in order for businesses to recover from the impact of the pandemic. Panelists at the Global Forum called out the need for employers to not only provide mental health resources through employee assistance programmes and employee resource groups, but also to consider how to proactively foster connection and remove the stigma around mental health.

2. Diversity is key to a successful workplace mental health strategy

The protests against racial injustice that occurred throughout the summer invited deep scrutiny of diversity and inclusion practices across industries. Leaders are responsible for ensuring that their hiring practices are free of bias and that their workplace is inclusive. This means that all workers must feel represented by the ethos of the organization. One simple way of achieving this, as described by Microsoft Chairman John Thompson, is to listen with the intention of what employees expect from the organization in terms of diversity and inclusion. As Mr. Thompson said: There is a reason we have two ears and one mouth.

A parallel issue, and one that One Mind at Work has been committed to advancing, is the advantage of neurodiversity in the workplace (see our white paper here). Individuals with autism, dyslexia or ADHD can provide tremendous value but are often stigmatized or face barriers to hiring or career success due to their employers failure to understand how simple accommodations could unlock their potential.

3. The need for more evidence-based interventions

To seriously address the current mental health crisis there need to be more evidence-based interventions. At the same time that businesses are coming to understand the urgency of implementing workplace mental health programmes, many are also facing budget constraints or underperformance as a result of COVID-19. As with any smart business decision and especially in challenging times employers need to know that their investments are proven effective and backed by data. Researchers at the Global Forum emphasized the need for a larger menu of evidence-based workplace mental health interventions along with comprehensive training and implementation plans. Tele-psychiatric services and other digital therapies are filling a key gap in the availability of care. See our Employers Guide to Digital Tools and Solutions for Mental Health here.

The pandemic's impact on our mental health will be severe and persistent

Image: One Mind At Work

4. Engaging the broader medical community and strengthening the mind-body connection

In the same way that more employers are fully appreciating their role in supporting employee mental health, encouraging the medical community to embrace comprehensive care can significantly improve and scale the delivery of mental healthcare. Dr. Victor Dzau, President of the National Academy of Medicine, and Dr. Vikram Patel of the Department of Global Health and Social Medicine at Harvard Medical School, spoke on a panel with UCLA Chancellor Gene Block about the fragmentation of the medical system and the need for more holistic medical education and patient care. Similarly, Nancy Brown, CEO of the American Heart Association, gave a keynote on emerging research that is proving how the connection between poor mental health and poor heart health is more than behavioural it is biological and chemical, and therefore treatment should not be siloed.

5. The workplace as a source of mental wellbeing

Anthea Ong, a member of parliament in Singapore since 2018, life coach, and founder of WorkWell Leaders Workgroup, gave an inspiring closing keynote at the Global Forum and posed a provocative question to the members of the audience: can the workplace, in fact, be a source of positivity that energizes and fulfills employees to help them show up as the best version of themselves in other parts of their lives? Her question completely flipped the paradigm of the workplace as a source of stress and anxiety that must be constantly mitigated. Instead, can we reframe and rebalance - our perception of work and its role in our lives? When leaders bring empathy, hope, trust and compassion to their organizations, Anthea asserts, this is possible.

One in four people will experience mental illness in their lives, costing the global economy an estimated $6 trillion by 2030.

Mental ill-health is the leading cause of disability and poor life outcomes in young people aged 1024 years, contributing up to 45% of the overall burden of disease in this age-group. Yet globally, young people have the worst access to youth mental health care within the lifespan and across all the stages of illness (particularly during the early stages).

In response, the Forum has launched a global dialogue series to discuss the ideas, tools and architecture in which public and private stakeholders can build an ecosystem for health promotion and disease management on mental health.

One of the current key priorities is to support global efforts toward mental health outcomes - promoting key recommendations toward achieving the global targets on mental health, such as the WHO Knowledge-Action-Portal and the Countdown Global Mental Health

One Mind at Work is a global coalition of more than 100 corporations, government agencies, academic institutions and advocacy organizations that recognize the need to share and practice workplace mental health. Impacting more than 20 million employees and their dependents by following the principles of the One Mind at Work Charter, we have set a goal of improving 100 million lives by 2025. With the collaboration of the World Economic Forum, achieving this goal will be an important part of addressing the second wave of COVID-19-related anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress and suicidality that will last far beyond the widespread availability of a vaccine.

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5 things we learned about workplace mental health this year - World Economic Forum

The Meritocracy Stress Test does for equality what the bank stress test did for liquidity.

Despite claiming to be meritocracies, many workplaces do not measure up.

Asking key questions can highlight your company's current shortcomings.

After the global financial crisis of 2007-2009, bank regulators in the United States and other countries implemented what is known as the bank stress test to ensure that banks had enough capital to withstand an economic or financial crisis. It provides a snapshot into the hypothetical health of a financial institution and its ability to prevent failure, maintain trust and provide protection to consumers. The annual test outlines categories in a few key areas for evaluation, including level of capital, credit risk, market risk and liquidity risk. It provides a way for banks to go beyond saying they are financially sound to proving that they truly are.

I propose a similar test for any organization that considers itself a meritocracy. I call it the Meritocracy Stress Test. It is an exercise for a company to discover whether it is at risk of not being the diverse, inclusive, fair and equitable workplace it purports to be. To date, every organization I have worked with proclaims it is a meritocracy the bedrock for values, mission statements and self-perception.

But to prove that shining assertion, the first question is to ask: Does everyone in the organization think his or her experiences at the company are based on merit? Few people who make it to the top say, I got here because I was subtly advantaged. Their view is usually that they climbed the ladder because only the best get promoted, and they were the best.

For each of the following propositions, rate your company 1-5; with a 1 meaning you havent focused on this issue, and 5 meaning your organization is completely cognizant of the dynamic and acting upon it.

1. Engaging in focus groups or surveys with specific members of the company. I did that with one US company, examining the viewpoints of four groups: white American men, women, American people of colour, and non-Americans. After the results were analyzed, we told the senior leadership that there was good news. One of the groups thought the organization was a meritocracy. But the other three did not. You can probably guess which group provided the good news: white American men. The rest said they had been subject to various company processes, personnel issues, personal comments and behaviours that showed unequal treatment in the organization.

2. Analysis of your data. McKinsey reports that women and other underrepresented groups get promoted, just at a slower rate than their white male counterparts. Is that true in your company? HR will have the data, so ask them to show you what the speed of promotion looks like for different segments of the company. How many women and people of colour are just not ready to be promoted?

Study data on pay gaps and bonus gaps. What does that tell you? Check gender gap reports, such as the World Economic Forum Gender Gap Report. It can give you a sense of your country rank and potentially be a reflection of corporate performance overall.

Another area to examine is personnel evaluations: Are women more likely to be criticized for their communication styles than men? One study found that 76% of womens evaluations critiqued them as aggressive and sharp-elbowed, compared to only 2% of mens evaluations. What does your data show? As you assess, dont confuse your efforts around diversity and inclusion with company outcomes.

Greater workplace diversity clearly correlates with increased revenue.

Image: BCG

3. De-bias processes at your organization. It may be difficult to overcome biases in people whether they are implicit, unconscious or conscious, but processes can be de-biased. For example, look at how your company hires and promotes its staff. Check entry job requirements, review past interviews and consider how youre measuring the culture fit for potential hires. Go back and look at those that were not given a job offer or a promotion. If the issue of culture fit came up, it might mean there is a bias towards those who are like you and perhaps less diverse as a result.

Ask yourself whether confidence is being equated to competence. Research shows that 71% of men believe they are above average, regardless of their abilities, inherently putting them at an advantage when those hiring or promoting conflate confidence and competence. Evaluate job performance reviews or hiring results, and see if there is a gender correlation between observed traits of confidence and promotion (or hiring).

4. Checking your myths and mindsets at the door. As you read through the following, reflect on how the organization might believe them and what the implications of that might be for different employees:

My company is a meritocracy. Only the best rise to the top, getting the promotions and opportunities they deserve.

We have developed and continue to develop programmes to help underrepresented groups including employee resource groups, have specialized training, a designated person for diversity, equity and inclusion efforts and highly touted inclusivity statements by senior leaders. Therefore, we must be a fair and meritocratic organization.

If people only worked harder and asked for what they needed, they would be successful. Everyone gets feedback on their performance and support when they need it.

Some of the challenges people from underrepresented groups complain about have happened to me in my career, but I overcame them.

Much more support is being provided to underrepresented groups, and it is now putting white males at a disadvantage.

Privilege does not exist in a merit-based organization; the playing field is level.

Confident people are more competent. The person who always speaks up with their ideas is the person who shows leadership.

The numbers tell the story about results whether people feel included or not.

The COVID-19 pandemic and recent social and political unrest have created a profound sense of urgency for companies to actively work to tackle racial injustice and inequality. In response, the Forum's Platform for Shaping the Future of the New Economy and Society has established a high-level community of Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officers. The community will develop a vision, strategies and tools to proactively embed equity into the post-pandemic recovery and shape long-term inclusive change in our economies and societies.

As businesses emerge from the COVID-19 crisis, they have a unique opportunity to ensure that equity, inclusion and justice define the "new normal" and tackle exclusion, bias and discrimination related to race, gender, ability, sexual orientation and all other forms of human diversity. It is increasingly clear that new workplace technologies and practices can be leveraged to significantly improve diversity, equity and inclusion outcomes.

The World Economic Forum has developed a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Toolkit, to outline the practical opportunities that this new technology represents for diversity, equity and inclusion efforts, while describing the challenges that come with it.

The toolkit explores how technology can help reduce bias from recruitment processes, diversify talent pools and benchmark diversity and inclusion across organisations. The toolkit also cites research that suggests well-managed diverse teams significantly outperform homogenous ones over time, across profitability, innovation, decision-making and employee engagement.

The Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Toolkit is available here.

Wanting to be a meritocracy and actually being one are different. The first is an aspiration; the second requires a series of questions and myth-busting that can initially lead to answers a company doesnt want to hear, but that ultimately spur real change. Did your organization meet the Meritocracy Stress Test and score 20 points?

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Take the Meritocracy Stress Test to find out the truth about diversity in your company - World Economic Forum

Excellencies,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is an honour to welcome you, to the 31st United Nations General Assembly special session on the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) the first-ever special session to address a pandemic.

Today marks an overdue and much needed moment of reckoning. None of us could have imagined, this time last year, what was to come.

The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted life for everyone around the world. It has challenged our world in ways unlike any other crisis in the 75- year history of the United Nations.

COVID-19 is first and foremost a global health crisis. But it is at the same time an economic crisis, a development crisis, a humanitarian crisis, and a human rights crisis.

We face the deepest global recession since the Great Depression and the broadest collapse in incomes since 1870. The world economy has shrunk by 4.4 %. Global extreme poverty is expected to rise for the first time in over 20 years. Up to 115 million people are at risk of being pushed into extreme poverty.

Foreign investments have been evaporating. Trade and travel restrictions; steep declines in export earnings, tourism and remittances, all put at risk the livelihoods of billions all around the world.

Our global development trajectory has been hijacked. Each country is feeling the pressure, yet, those that were already lagging behind, took the worst hit. Ongoing humanitarian crises have worsened, as a famine of unprecedented proportion threatens the poorest people in the world.

We are faced with a grave risk where half of the Decade of Action to Implement the SDGs will have been spent simply getting back to where we were at the beginning of the year.

Excellencies,

This pandemic has disproportionately affected the most vulnerable members of our societies women, children, the elderly, the disabled, refugees, migrants, those living in slums and the homeless. It revealed the structural inequalities and obstacles to the full enjoyment of human rights.

Lockdown measures have led to increased gender-based violence and domestic abuse of women. Many women will not be returning to the workforce, as they disproportionately shoulder the burden of unpaid care and home schooling.

Young people feel frustrated, as their education, community engagement and employment opportunities are restrained.

Pandemic-related disruptions in health and nutrition services could result in increased rates of child deaths from preventable causes.

Digital divide between developing and developed countries as well as between urban and rural settings is exacerbating exclusion and inequality. In communities around the world where internet connectivity is scarce, millions of children have no access to remote learning.

Already far from their homes due to conflicts, disasters, and persecution, refugees and internally displaced persons are suffering further due to the pandemic. And increases in racist discourse, hatred, stigmatization, stereotyping and misinformation have been accompanying the pandemic.

Excellencies,

This Hall is, where nations come together, where they unite. This august body, the General Assembly, is the voice, will, and conscience of humanity.

The world is looking to the UN for leadership, to step up and take demonstrable action to address the greatest challenge our world is facing today.

This crisis compels us to shake up how things are done, to be bold, and to restore confidence and trust in the United Nations.

No other institution is as far-reaching, as mandated or as normatively better placed. The United Nations must lead on this.

This General Assembly special session, is a historic moment for Member States, the United Nations, the scientific community, and other stakeholders, including the civil society, to hear from each other, engage in dialogue on the multifaceted consequences of the pandemic as well as on the ways to recover better and stronger.

This is not a time to point fingers. We have convened here to forge a path forward and to end the suffering of the people we serve.

Since the beginning, I have been convinced that holding this special session was a test for multilateralism, defined by our collective action on the most critical issue of our time. And it is in no way the end of our joint response and recovery from the pandemic.

We were not prepared for COVID-19, but we have to be prepared for the next pandemic, climate catastrophe or global recession. Because a crisis of this magnitude will come, and we will have to meet it when it does.

Distinguished Delegates,

We must be able to rise to the challenge, and our response should not simply target a return to the status quo ante.

What we need to do is clear:

First, we must start with ensuring fair and equitable access to vaccines.

Providing everyone with access to COVID-19 vaccines is both the right thing to do and the smart thing to do. From a moral standpoint, we have an obligation to leave no one behind and to protect the most vulnerable. From a practical standpoint, the value of any vaccine is entirely dependent on how many people can get it.

So we must strengthen political and resource mobilisation for multilateral initiatives that aim towards fair and equitable distribution of COVID-19 vaccine.

Secondly, we must work together to protect the most vulnerable countries that are lagging behind, most notably LDCs, LLDCs, and SIDS.

We must ensure that adequate financial resources are available to achieve an inclusive and resilient recovery. We need to join forces to address the challenges of debt vulnerability and diminished fiscal space.

I encourage International Financial Institutions and partner countries to do what they can to ease debt burdens, facilitate investment, and leverage development assistance during this crucial period. If necessary, we must pool financial resources to create investment funds.

The pandemic has also highlighted that we need more investment in social and health services all around the world. We need to develop projects for social inclusion of the most vulnerable groups. We must ensure universal health coverage.

While tackling the immediate consequences of the pandemic, we must also work towards the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), uphold our pledge to leave no one behind and ensure that our recovery efforts spur on the SDGs.

We do not need to prioritize among these goals. Indeed, the underlying urgency of ending extreme poverty, halting climate change, protecting the oceans, or building inclusive societies is more pressing than ever.

Investments towards the SDGs can serve as both a means and an end towards a post-COVID recovery.

The environmental root causes must also be addressed. COVID-19 is a zoonotic infectious disease, originating from animal populations being placed under severe environmental pressure. This is our last warning. We must get to the bottom of how this happened to ensure it doesnt happen again. We simply have to protect biodiversity and look towards a green recovery.

Finally, we must ensure that the policies we implement to combat the pandemic do not undermine the democratic institutions that underpin the long-term health of our economies and societies.

Our response to this crisis must be shaped by, and uphold respect for, human rights. Our policies should be universal, open, transparent, accountable, and inclusive. Promoting good governance, respecting the rule of law and allocating resources for the most vulnerable people will in fact support our response to the pandemic by making our societies more equitable and resilient.

Excellencies,

As a global community, we are at the beginning of the largest socio-economic recovery since the creation of the United Nations. If properly planned and coordinated, our recovery has the potential to jumpstart the SDGs, accelerate action on resilient infrastructure, improve access to education and healthcare, and better protect the natural world around us.

In 1945 skeptics thought the idea of a multilateral system, with an organization of unparalleled legitimacy at its core, to be impossible. But even at that time of unimaginable tragedy, the world came together for the sake of humanity. I am sure, we will be able do that once again.

Right now, we are all dreaming of the day this pandemic is over. The day we can take a deep breath of fresh air without fear. The day we can shake the hands of our colleagues, embrace our families, and laugh with our friends.

After months of adjusting to life during this pandemic, it would be easy to feel frustrated. But do not be deterred.

We are working for you.

We are working for the refugees, who are taking every precaution to protect their families in camp settings.

Working for the people with underlying conditions who are self-isolating at home.

For the girls and boys who wish, above all else, to return to school.

For the people in line waiting for COVID testing and for those who do not have access to such diagnostics.

For the healthcare workers, who continue to work tirelessly on the frontline.

For the people battling the effects of the COVID-19 disease.

And for the families around the world, who are grieving the loss of their loved ones.

The UN is working for you.

We are united, for you.

Stay strong. There are brighter days ahead.

I thank you.

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31st United Nations General Assembly Special Session on the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Pandemic - Statement by H.E. Volkan Bozkir, President of...

AMHERST, Mass. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Solar Energy Technology Office announced recently that a team led by extension professor Dwayne Breger at the University of Massachusetts Amherst has been selected for a three-year, $1.8 million award to study the effects of co-locating solar energy panels and agriculture operations at up to eight different farms across the Commonwealth. The work will be in partnership with landowners, state agencies, solar developers and a non-profit farmland organization.

Breger, who is also director of UMass Clean Energy Extension, says, Our objective with this award is to have the opportunity to do robust research to address the dearth of data on the impact of this solar approach to agricultural productivity and farm viability. We need data on how the agriculture will perform, and how the project economics will affect individual farms and the state agricultural economy as a whole.

He adds, Right now, many communities dont have the necessary experience to understand and manage the solar development that is coming, and farmers dont have science-based facts to fully assess the opportunities that developers are proposing to them. Our project will do the research to allow us to help farmers and communities make informed decisions about the solar opportunities that are coming their way.

Breger points out that two state agencies, the Massachusetts Departments of Agricultural Resources (MDAR) and Energy Resources (DOER), are keenly interested in this project, as outcomes will provide the science to inform policy development.

Jody Jellison, director of the UMass Center for Agriculture, Food and the Environment and UMass Extension, says, The dual use of land for farming and solar energy has gotten many people excited about its potential. Now, with this new project, well be able to begin developing data to quantify the agronomic and economic effects on farming to determine whether that excitement is warranted or not.

Breger and research colleagues at UMass Extension, the UMass Cranberry Station, the campuss Department of Resource Economics and the American Farmland Trust will study the economic and social impact of solar-agriculture co-location on farms by establishing site trials and assessing crop productivity, soil health, and micro-climatic conditions. Sites will grow a range of crops including pumpkins, strawberries, greens, winter squash, cranberries, hay, grazing, other vegetables and other small fruit.

Farm partners are in Grafton, Carver, Dighton, Plympton, Hadley, Colrain, and Charlemont. Solar developer partners BlueWave Solar, Pine Gate Renewables and Hyperion Systems are dedicating portions of their commercial dual-use solar installations at these farms for research site trials enabling a robust research scope over varied agricultural conditions. Most site trials will get underway in March 2021 in time for the first planting, Breger says.

He and colleagues will also study public acceptance of solar-agriculture co-location and develop practical co-location management guidelines for growers, solar developers and other relevant stakeholders. The U.S. DOE says it is interested in research and analysis that enable farmers, ranchers and other agricultural enterprises to gain value from solar technologies while keeping land available for agricultural purposes.

Breger notes that UMass Amhersts Crop Animal Research and Education Center and farm in South Deerfield hosts one of the states first dual-use solar-agricultural installations, giving the campus valuable early experience in this research area.

MDAR Commissioner John Lebeaux says his agency is thrilled and thankful that DOE selected the experienced and diverse UMass team for this important land use research. This study will help us further understand the agronomical criteria necessary for viable, compatible dual use of agricultural land and solar installations over a range of agricultural production and conditions important information for Massachusetts farms wishing to keep their valuable agricultural land in active, marketable production while implementing clean energy, balancing both needs and goals, he notes.

DOER Commissioner Patrick Woodcock adds that this project builds on the departments existing support of promoting solar development along with maintaining existing agriculture production. Designing solar projects to maximize both energy and agriculture yields on the same property requires extensive data collection and this award from DOE will contribute to Massachusetts leadership in this emerging sector.

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UMass Amherst Study Will Assess Impact of Dual-use Solar-agriculture Installations in Massachusetts - UMass News and Media Relations

NORTHFIELD, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--FirstLight Power today submitted its combined Amended Final License Application (AFLA) to federal regulators to extend the operating licenses for 50 years for its Cabot and Turners Falls hydroelectric generating stations on the Connecticut River and its Northfield Mountain energy storage facility. These facilities, which provide clean power and long-duration energy storage, will be important contributors to Massachusetts efforts to achieve its goal of reaching net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.

If approved by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), the new licenses will sustain more than 70 well-paying and union-represented jobs in Western Massachusetts and hundreds of millions of dollars in local property tax payments to Erving, Gill, Montague, and Northfield for another half-century. The new license also ensures continued generation of clean, renewable, locally produced hydropower to more than 1 million New England homes and businesses.

Based on findings from more than 40 detailed scientific studies and years of environmental reviews, FirstLight is committing to $130 million worth of new investments in protection, mitigation, and enhancement (PM&E) measures, foregoing approximately $100 million in energy revenue over the next 50 years by restricting hours of hydropower generation to protect wildlife and habitat, and upgrading recreational facilities in the region. These measures include:

FirstLight CEO Alicia Barton said: Northfield Mountain and our Cabot and Turners Falls facilities are delivering a significant portion of the zero-emissions clean power available to New Englands electric grid today, and they are poised to play an even more important role in the decades ahead as Massachusetts scales up renewable energy to achieve its ambitious goal of net-zero emissions by 2050. We are proud to be able to strengthen FirstLights longstanding environmental stewardship in the region and support environmental and species protection, preservation of clean energy jobs, and investment in the local economy, all while combating the existential threat of climate change.

FirstLight also acknowledged the contributions of the many stakeholders who provided valuable input into the process of developing the AFLA, including environmental and recreation organizations, tribal representatives, historical and cultural officials, and local, state, and federal agencies. The engagement of these stakeholders has been an important part of the development of this application, and we look forward to continuing to work with them as the process advances, said Barton.

The 1,168-megawatt Northfield Mountain pumped-storage facility, known as New Englands biggest and greenest battery, was originally completed in 1972 and can store enough power to serve 1 million homes for more than 7 hours every day. This makes Northfield Mountain both a critical resource for ensuring reliable power and an ideal backstop for large-scale wind and solar power to reduce regional greenhouse gas emissions. To bolster its value to the reliability of the New England electric grid and to the regions carbon reduction goals, FirstLight is asking FERC to make permanent the allowed use of existing storage capability at Northfield Mountain that FERC has granted during seasonal peak times in the past.

Cabot-Turners Falls is Massachusetts largest conventional hydropower facility and consists of the 62-megawatt Cabot Station, first put into service in 1916, and 6-megawatt Turners Falls station just upstream, commissioned in 1905.

As part of its stewardship of the local environment and approximately 4,000 acres of land in Western Massachusetts associated with the facilities, FirstLight already provides access to some of the areas marquee outdoor recreation sites, including the Northfield Mountain Recreation and Environmental Center, the Turners Falls Fishway, Riverview Park, and the Barton Cove and Munns Ferry campgrounds. The new river access points will provide kayakers, canoers, hikers, and other visitors with even more options to enjoy the river and its wildlife.

Extensive research for the 700-page AFLA, including analysis by the nations leading riverbank-erosion scientist, confirmed that FirstLights operations affect riverbanks in only two locations, one of which has already been remediated. In the second location, research showed, naturally high river flows and boat wakes account for the vast majority of riverbank impacts, with only 8 percent of impact attributable to hydroelectric operations by FirstLight. The study confirmed that the steps FirstLight has completed to date to mitigate shoreline erosion issues have satisfactorily addressed all impacts related to hydropower operations.

The full license application and associated public notices for the AFLA may be found HERE.

ABOUT FIRSTLIGHT POWER

FirstLight Power (FirstLight) is a leading clean power producer and energy storage company in New England with a portfolio that includes nearly 1,400 megawatts of pumped-hydro storage, battery storage, hydroelectric generation, and solar generationthe largest clean energy generation portfolio in New England today.

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FirstLight Files to Relicense Western Massachusetts Hydroelectric Assets for 50 More Years of Clean, Reliable Energy and Community Benefits - Business...

No other investment yields as great a return as the investment in education. An educated workforce is the foundation of every community and the future of every economy. Brad Henry, 26th Governor of the State of Oklahoma, USA

If there is any time the common saying, Knowledge is power (scientia potentia est in Latin), holds the greatest meaning to humanity, it is now. The global economy is commanded by economies that are knowledge-based as against their agrarian and commodity-based counterparts. The top 10 economies by Gross Domestic Product (GDP), namely United States, China, Japan, Germany, India, United Kingdom, France, Italy, Brazil, and Canada, are knowledge-based. They alone command about 66 percent of the worlds economy.

With a GDP of $2.94 trillion, India overtook UK and France to become the fifth-largest economy in 2019. Indias GDP in 1980 was just $189.439 billion and ranked as 13th largest global economy. But through Make in India, a major national programme fashioned to facilitate investment, foster innovation, enhance skill development, protect intellectual property, and build world class manufacturing infrastructure, the country rose from an agrarian economy to build a strong manufacturing and services sector. Indias service sector is rated the fastest growing in the world, contributing over 60 percent to the economy and employing 28 percent of her workforce.

But the Miracle on the Han River, as South Koreas transition from one of the worlds poorest nations to an industrialised and high-tech nation in a few generations is popularly referred to, should interest us more as Nigerians. While Nigeria swims in abundant natural resources, South Korea, almost bereft of any, joined the club of trillion dollar economies in 2004.

Today the South Korean knowledge-based economy is the 12th largest in the world by GDP and 4th in Asia, just behind China, Japan, and India, in that order. Korea is one of the leading exporters of electronic products, machinery, motor vehicles, steel, ships, and textiles and clothing, etc.

According to Statistica, with a combined gross tonnage of about 11.5 million in 2019, South Korea is only second to China (with 11.8 million) as a leading shipbuilding nation. Its Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) in Ulsan is the worlds leading shipbuilding company, wowing the world with ingenuity even in naval and special ship manufacturing. Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering in Seoul, Samsung Heavy Industries in Geoje, and STX Offshore and Shipbuilding in Jinhae, all Korean, are other top shipbuilders.

The International Organisation of Motor Vehicle Manufacturers ranks Korea 7th in car manufacturing. Korea manufactures more cars than Russia, France, UK, and Brazil.

Although South Korea relies on iron ore imports (remember it is almost bereft of mineral resources, unlike Nigeria), she is the worlds 6th largest steel producer, rolling out 71.4 metric tons in 2019, according to World Steel Association.

The Incheon International Airport, South Koreas largest airport, reflects her economy. It was ranked the worlds 4th busiest airport (3rd in Asia) in 2017 by cargo traffic and worlds 19th busiest airport (9th in Asia) by passenger traffic. It served a whooping 70,857,908 passengers in 2019 alone and won Skytrax World Airport of the Year award in 2012 as well as World Best Transit Airport and World Best Airport Terminal in 2020.

I am passionate about Korea because of her peculiar story. I have also used the Incheon airport, toured the Kia and Hyundai automobile manufacturing, the steel rolling mill, and I have been to the Hyundai shipyard, which stretches over four kilometers along the coast of Mipo Bay in Ulsan. One cannot but weep for our dear nation each time one remembers that the Asian nations deliberate and rigorous education system, a highly inspired and educated population spurred her rapid economic development and high-tech boom.

Like China and Singapore, which have equally successfully linked education and economic prosperity, the Korean story shows that no nation can develop beyond the quality of her education. These countries have all invested heavily in vocational education and training connected with Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM, now STEAM) education. They have championed ICT education and funded Research and Development (R&D) and leadership training. Let us not forget that Singapore was ignominiously expelled from the Malaysian federation by the Parliament of Malaysia by 1260 votes in the morning of August 9, 1965. Today, Singapore is a cynosure of all eyes.

Again a look at the list of the twenty-seven richest men/families in the world today shows that only Andrew Forrest Laurie (Australia), who is worth $14.4 billion, is into mining. And apart from Beat Heister & Karl Albrecht, who spin their wealth through supermarkets, the rest of the ten richest men, from Jeff Bezos (US), whose Amazon is worth $204.6 billion to Li Ka-shing (Hong Kong) with diversified businesses worth $28.6 billion, are production, ICT, service, and value addition, etc. driven.

It naturally means that Nigerias hope rests on knowledge-driven economy where the key element of value, according to Adam Hayes, is the greater dependence on human capital and intellectual property for the source of the innovative ideas, information, and practices.

I have taken time to put these things in perspective for us to appreciate the Seplat Petroleum Development Company new educational programme, Seplat Teachers Empowerment Programme (STEP), targeted at secondary school teachers.

According to a statement by the companys General Manager, External Affairs and Communications, Dr. Chioma Nwachuku, a total of 100 teachers and 43 Chief Inspectors of Education (CIEs) drawn from Edo and Delta states are currently benefitting from the maiden edition of STEP.

She explained that the programme was designed to promote teachers creative thinking, facilitate higher student engagement, and offer a well-rounded education for recipients of the initiative.

The five-day residential workshop introductory phase kicked off a six-month programme specially designed for teachers to provide them training on teaching applications for Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics (STEAM) as well as leadership and self-improvement.

With the STEP programme, the company now has a full bouquet of programmes to address the entire education value chain. Our programmes now cover improving school infrastructure, enhancing academic performance of students, and building the skills and competencies of teachers, Seplat stated.

According to company, it developed an online teachers resource centre, which provides the beneficiary teachers access to inclusive learning, highlighting best techniques and practices for implementing STEAM teaching methods and assist them to learn to use such methods in the classrooms.

It observed that the e-platform would provide and connect teachers to a collection of STEAM resources to enable them to understand, teach and demonstrate effectively to their students. The first set of teachers from the STEP initiative would graduate in the first quarter of 2021.

Importantly, the selection was through a competitive process. 389 teachers from secondary schools in Edo and Delta states sat for the qualifying test online in September this year to compete for the available 100 places.

Seplats approach to this initiative equally shows that it has its eyes on the bigger picture, ensuring that teachers in private schools equally benefit from a training that will contribute a lot to shaping Nigerias future. Of the 100 beneficiary teachers, 75 per cent is from public schools, while 25 per cent is from private schools.

While the STEP initiative is highly commendable, many are not surprised, given the underlying philosophy of the founders of the organisation, like its Chairman, Dr. A.B.C Orjiako and because it is coming from a corporate entity with a laudable track record in enhancing the quality of education many Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programmes. For instance, Seplat recently concluded the Seplat PEARLs Quiz, where 574 schools drawn from Edo and Delta States participated. The competition, according to the company, aims to promote and reward academic excellence amongst secondary school students. With a corporate philosophy, which sees the host communities as key stakeholders/co-owners of its business, Seplat has additionally excelled in providing other supports such health services, scholarships, and social infrastructure to the communities.

By the STEP initiative, Seplat has demonstrated again that it thinks not only about making profit, but also about helping to shape the nations future by building the intellectual capital that will launch her unto the realms of real prosperity. This step is not only laudable, but also worthy of emulation by other corporate organisations in order to move Nigeria forward.

Anichukwu writes from Abuja

Continued here:

As Seplat takes STEAM education a STEP higher - TheCable

DILLON Plenty of Summit Countys seasonal workers come to the mountains to live the ski bum lifestyle for a winter or two before going on their way. But not everyone who ends up leaving necessarily wants to, and the transient nature of the countys workforce takes a toll on the mental health of those working to set down roots in the community.

The pandemic hasnt helped. The total workforce has decreased by about 23% from June to October, according to an economic impact survey conducted by the Summit Chamber of Commerce and the Summit Prosperity Initiative. Corry Mihm, project manager for the Prosperity Initiative, wrote in an email that much of the loss could be among seasonal workers.

In the ski industry, some people make a career out of their once-seasonal jobs by climbing the corporate ladder. But by design, a segment of the seasonal workforce leaves after a one or two years. Kelly Renoux, director of Employee Experience at Copper Mountain Resort, explained that turnover is part of the seasonal business. The resort rehires about one-third of its staff every season with the remaining two-thirds of job openings filled by new employees. For positions like lift operations, for example, Renoux said some turnover is desired because Copper wants people who are new and excited about the work. In positions like vehicle maintenance, however, the resort doesnt want as much turnover.

You want as many people to come back as possible because it reduces training costs, and they already know the resort, Renoux said. Theyre passionate, and they bring people back. But the nature of the seasonal business is were not able to offer it year over year, and sometimes people just get tired of doing the seasonal business year after year, and they want to do something more year-round.

The majority of the workforce for Keystone Resort and Breckenridge Ski Resort also is seasonal due to peak demand during the winter season, spokesperson Loryn Roberson wrote in an email.

But some ski area employees buck that trend and decide to stick around for the lifestyle. Zac Calden, a lift operator at Arapahoe Basin Ski Area who has opted to stay at the ski area for the past few years, said seasonal turnover often happens during the summer, when people cant find a job they like and move elsewhere. Calden said he has stayed because of the family atmosphere at A-Basin and the snowboarding lifestyle.

I work a lot just because I love being up there, and Im up there every day anyway in the winter, Calden said. If Im off, Im up there riding, so if they need a couple hours from me, Im like, Yeah, no problem. I love the place, so I dont do much outside of snowboarding. That is my life, so work-life is pretty balanced.

Calden said he stays in Summit County and at A-Basin because hed miss the area if he moved elsewhere, work treats him well and he enjoys the natural environment. He also hopes to move up the chain of command at A-Basin. Calden, who is in his 30s, said he wants to stay put and not start his life again somewhere new.

Phil Armstrong owner of Destination Hospitality, which includes Aurum Food & Wine in Breckenridge said he works to attract people who are serious about cooking, but that its difficult in Summit County. He said he tries to position his businesses as one of the best places to work in the industry by paying wages at the top of the market and creating opportunities for people to move up within the company.

We try to position ourselves as, Look, if you want to be the cook that drinks a bunch of beers and does a bunch of coke and doesnt really give a shit about the job, were not that restaurant. Were the restaurant where youre going to learn about food. Youre going to learn about wine. Youre going to take what youre doing seriously even if its for a season. Youre going to be forced to conform to our professional environment, Armstrong said. And that doesnt work for a lot of people.

High turnover is an issue, and people who are serious about the industry typically gravitate toward urban markets rather than mountain towns, Armstrong said, because its hard to make a living in a mountain town while working in the service industry. He said there is an oversaturation of restaurants in Summit Countys tourism-based economy, which has divided the labor pool, making it even more challenging to find quality employees.

Family & Intercultural Resource Center Executive Director Brianne Snow said its hard to recruit and retain qualified employees in the nonprofit sector, as well. She said the resource center constantly has open positions and has lost candidates after they research the cost of living. The nonprofit pays between $18 and $22 an hour for an entry-level position.

We need qualified people that have degrees and experience, and we cant recruit anyone to live in this community, Snow said. No one will move here.

Snow added that some people who have lived in the county for a while become weary of trying to piece together a budget and get to a point in their mid-30s when they decide to leave. She also said productivity in the workplace becomes a problem when people are worrying about meeting basic needs, such as how to feed their children.

Ellette Dusek, who moved to Summit County in April as a server after working at Snooze in Denver, said she has struggled with the lack of professionalism in Summit County.

I moved up here, and I absolutely love it; its just the work situation is rough, said Dusek, who recently left her job at Timberline Craft Kitchen and Cocktails to work at Red Mountain Grill. These organized, structured ways that I have of systematically doing things as a server arent a thing up here. Its just like chaos. They just want to get the job done, and it doesnt really matter (how).

Dusek said inconsistent income due to seasonal workflow changes also has been difficult to adjust to. She said her experience is that expectations are lower for service-industry workers in Summit County, and theres no focus on team building, which she attributes to employees not taking their jobs seriously.

While Dusek believes the mountain lifestyle contributes to the lack of professionalism, managers and owners perpetuate the problem by assuming employees will quickly leave, she said. As someone who does want to be a loyal employee, Dusek said she feels cheated. Due to the party culture, Dusek said people in their 20s are looked down on in Summit County, and she has to go above and beyond to prove that shes responsible despite her age.

Summit Countys party lifestyle and transient nature contribute to the mental health struggles of area workers. The Family & Intercultural Resource Center and Building Hope Summit County partner to offer resources to residents and connect people to mental health care.

Snow said the nonprofit sees a lot of people struggling with their mental health, from young people in their 20s who are trying to piece their lives together to parents with multiple children.

To have that constant pressure to pay your rent and pay child care and afford your health care and get food on the table and then take a little time out for your own self to make sure that your mental health is good, is just not happening, Snow said.

She added that the transient nature of the community can feel very isolating. Many Summit County residents dont have extended family around, so they dont receive the same familial support that might traditionally be found elsewhere. Not having family around can be even more difficult throughout the holidays, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic as people are told not to gather with anyone outside of their household.

Snow said the center sees a lot of people in crisis.

A lot of people walk in the door because its their last hope before they do something that cant be taken back, Snow said.

Jennifer McAtamney, executive director of Building Hope, described the paradise paradox, where people come to live in Summit County because they love the mountains and think it will solve all of their problems. Unfortunately, this often isnt the case, and the letdown can exacerbate their issues.

A lot of us have challenges in our lives, and we think that if we go and live in this beautiful place that everything will be better, McAtamney said. And when they get here because of the lack of housing, because of the cost of living, because of the wage structure not only did it not get better, but it got worse.

McAtamney said the problem is often worsened by the fact that the individual left their traditional support system and can become isolated in a new community. She added that the long Summit County winters can negatively affect mental health.

Theres this paradox where, Now, I feel guilty because Im not feeling better, and here I am living in this place thats so beautiful that I always wanted to be, and it still sucks. So why am I hurting so much right now? McAtamney said. And think about the weight of that on you as a person.

McAtamney said financial challenges and friends frequently leaving the community are major triggers for mental health issues. While people come to the mountains to enjoy healing activities like hiking, skiing and generally being outside, there is still the looming uncertainty of being able to pay rent, which takes its toll, McAtamney said. She said that is compounded by the service-industry workforce being surrounded by visitors spending thousands of dollars a day on their vacations.

Youre just seeing the disparity on a daily basis, McAtamney said. The economic structure of this community is just really challenging.

McAtamney added that people constantly coming and going in a transient community can wear on residents and make them less welcoming to new people, making it hard for the workforce to really settle.

Building Hopes work centers around making sure people have the vital mental health resources they need. Over the past year, the nonprofit has worked to get more providers credentialed with insurance to increase service accessibility. This year, Building Hope added informal virtual support groups to its list of resources, which also includes community connectedness events, mental health scholarships, connection to therapy and support groups.

During the COVID-19 shutdown in the spring, McAtamney said the first few weeks were very quiet. An increase in requests for mental health services started to pop up in April and May as the quarantine wore on. When the community lost two teenagers to suicide, the need for support skyrocketed. The peak in mental health requests came in June, when McAtamney said the reopening process was a big stressor for people.

I think COVID has made it harder, she said. I think just the uncertainty around jobs and what does the winter look like? Are we going to have visitors here? Are the restaurants going to be able to make it financially? The uncertainty has exacerbated (mental health issues) even more.

Laura Graham, who now lives in Littleton, previously worked in Summit County as a massage therapist. She moved to the area to pursue work opportunities and for the natural environment. Graham was renting an apartment in Keystone when the pandemic struck. In March, she informed her landlord that she was unemployed due to the shutdown, saying she was unsure whether she could complete the lease. Graham said her landlord was uncooperative, and she had no choice but to move out and live with her parents at 50 years old. Grahams landlord, Cynthia Kipta, confirmed in an email that she did have a dispute with her tenant, and they reached an impasse despite her best efforts to resolve the dispute.

During her time in Summit County, Graham said she was frustrated by the lack of professional jobs. She also pointed out that the apartments available for rent were often furnished and seasonal, which she said doesnt suit someone whos trying to lay down roots. Graham said she chose Summit County for the same reason that many others move to the mountains to be outside but didnt feel welcomed into the community.

Graham said she wanted to make it work but ultimately had to leave.

I was eagerly waiting for summer, Graham said. I was waiting for it to warm up so I could have an additional round of interviews and enjoy what I went up there to enjoy. I was just surviving it and waiting for spring, so I could make a fresh start of it. And then I could look for a better job and a better apartment at the end of it. Thats what I was thinking.

Raychel Kelly, founder of Summit Countys Good Bridge Community organization, also left the county during the pandemic. As a former member of Summit Countys working homeless population, Kelly said there werent enough resources in the county for her to make it work during the shutdown. She pointed out that there isnt a homeless shelter in the area.

Having COVID, I think people on the normal level of society are going to feel the pinch of inconvenience, and that is what our population deals with every day, Kelly said about Summit Countys hourly wage workforce. I just think that engagement of people being inconvenienced right now could be a leadway into the discussion of what our population deals with, and maybe that can be a bridge into some communication.

Kelly said the pandemic is an excuse for the community and local government to push issues of homelessness to the side. She said she was uncomfortable being homeless in Summit County when the pandemic hit and didnt have a solid network in the area, so she returned to the Los Angeles area, where she had previously lived for over 25 years. Kelly said she has mixed feelings about her time in Summit County, where she became homeless. She said the county, and the rest of the country, needs to be a place where wages can work for people, where people arent spending 50% of their income on housing.

Ultimately, I think if we want to make any change, we have to stay on the track, Kelly said about addressing homelessness. We cant let COVID or anything else deter us.

Go here to read the rest:

Transient workforce: How high turnover affects the workplace and the mental health of hourly wage workers - Summit Daily News

VANCOUVER, BC, Dec. 2, 2020 /PRNewswire/ - B2Gold Corp. (TSX: BTO) (NYSE AMERICAN: BTG) (NSX: B2G) ("B2Gold" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that the Companyhas been selected as the recipient of two prestigious mining industry awards: the Prospectors & Developers Association of Canada's ("PDAC") 2021 Sustainability Award and the Mining Journal's 2020 Most Sustainable Miner award. All dollar figures are in United States Dollars unless otherwise indicated.

The PDAC Sustainability Award honours companies that demonstrate outstanding initiative, leadership and accomplishment in establishing good community relations during a mine operation. B2Gold was recognized for its "exemplary resettlement and community development work with the village of Fadougou at the Fekola gold mine in Mali."

When B2Gold acquired the Fekola Project in 2014, the village of Fadougou was located near the perimeter of the proposed open pit. Although relocating the residents was not a condition of the mine permit, B2Gold saw this as an opportunity to work with the community, build a new village and invest in the long-term social and economic development of the villagers. The collaborative effort went beyond managing the basic potential risks to health and safety of the community. This effort led to improved living conditions in Fadougou by providing services, education and training, building new infrastructure and diversifying the economy. Over 400 members of the community were employed during construction, and traditionally marginalized women were given an important role in the planning and execution of the resettlement. Most importantly, the process has positioned the whole region for social and economic growth and new opportunities beyond the life of the Fekola Mine, which is one of the fundamental goals of any B2Gold investment abroad.

B2Gold has also been named the 2020 Most Sustainable Miner by the Mining Journal. According to the publication,anumber of prominent mining companies were selected by readers as nominees for this category, and selected B2Gold as its award recipient for being "emblematic of the change occurring in the industry, worldwide."

Highlights featured by Mining Journal in their award selection include the Company's industry-leading safety record, 95% local employment, gender diversity initiatives to increase the percentage of females in its total workforce and senior positions, its Rhino Gold Bar philanthropic conservation program in Namibia and implementation of solar power-based renewable energy solutions at the Otjikoto mine in Namibia and Fekola mine in Mali.

"Our commitment to the sustainable development of our mine operations is woven into the fabric of our Company: from the exploration and design phases to project construction, operation and ultimately closure," said Ken Jones, B2Gold's Director of Sustainability. "We are committed to leaving a positive legacy for the communities around our mines, and we are honoured and challenged by this recognition to work to continuously improve our performance and maintain our social license to operate."

B2Gold invested over $14 million globally in 2019 in the socio-economic development of communities impacted by its operations, to improve standards of living through a focus on health and hygiene, education, conservation and livelihoods. The Company works in coordination with local authorities and communities to leverage its positive impacts through strategic partnerships. More information on B2Gold's environmental and social performance, as well as its safety performance and economic contributions across its operations can be found in the Company's annual responsible mining report,Raising the Bar.

About B2Gold Corp.B2Gold is a low-cost international senior gold producer headquartered inVancouver, Canada. Founded in 2007, today, B2Gold has operating gold mines inMali,Namibiaandthe Philippines, and numerous exploration and development projects in various countries includingMaliandColombia. B2Gold continues to forecast total consolidated gold production of between 1,000,000 and 1,055,000 ounces in 2020.

ON BEHALF OF B2GOLD CORP.

"Clive T. Johnson"President & Chief Executive Officer

For more information on B2Gold, please visit the Company website at http://www.b2gold.com or contact:

The Toronto Stock Exchange and NYSE American LLC neither approve nor disapprove the information contained in this news release.

Production results and production guidance presented in this news release reflect total production at the mines B2Gold operates on a 100% project basis. Please see our Annual Information Form dated March 20, 2020 for a discussion of our ownership interest in the mines B2Gold operates.

This news release includes certain "forward-looking information" and "forward-looking statements" (collectively forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable Canadian and United States securities legislation, including: projections; outlook; guidance; forecasts; estimates; and other statements regarding future or estimated financial and operational performance, gold production and sales, revenues and cash flows, and capital costs (sustaining and non-sustaining) and operating costs, including projected cash operating costs and AISC. All statements in this news release that address events or developments that we expect to occur in the future are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts and are generally, although not always, identified by words such as "expect", "plan", "anticipate", "project", "target", "potential", "schedule", "forecast", "budget", "estimate", "intend" or "believe" and similar expressions or their negative connotations, or that events or conditions "will", "would", "may", "could", "should" or "might" occur. All such forward-looking statements are based on the opinions and estimates of management as of the date such statements are made.

Forward-looking statements necessarily involve assumptions, risks and uncertainties, certain of which are beyond B2Gold's control, including risks associated with or related to: the duration and extent of the COVID-19 pandemic, the effectiveness of preventative measures and contingency plans put in place by the Company to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, including, but not limited to, social distancing, a non-essential travel ban, business continuity plans, and efforts to mitigate supply chain disruptions; escalation of travel restrictions on people or products and reductions in the ability of the Company to transport and refine dor; the volatility of metal prices and B2Gold's common shares; changes in tax laws; the dangers inherent in exploration, development and mining activities; the uncertainty of reserve and resource estimates; not achieving production, cost or other estimates; actual production, development plans and costs differing materially from the estimates in B2Gold's feasibility and other studies; the ability to obtain and maintain any necessary permits, consents or authorizations required for mining activities; environmental regulations or hazards and compliance with complex regulations associated with mining activities; climate change and climate change regulations; the ability to replace mineral reserves and identify acquisition opportunities; the unknown liabilities of companies acquired by B2Gold; the ability to successfully integrate new acquisitions; fluctuations in exchange rates; the availability of financing; financing and debt activities, including potential restrictions imposed on B2Gold's operations as a result thereof and the ability to generate sufficient cash flows; operations in foreign and developing countries and the compliance with foreign laws, including those associated with operations in Mali, Namibia, the Philippines, Colombia and Burkina Faso and including risks related to changes in foreign laws and changing policies related to mining and local ownership requirements or resource nationalization generally, including in response to the COVID-19 outbreak; remote operations and the availability of adequate infrastructure; fluctuations in price and availability of energy and other inputs necessary for mining operations; shortages or cost increases in necessary equipment, supplies and labour; regulatory, political and country risks, including local instability or acts of terrorism and the effects thereof; the reliance upon contractors, third parties and joint venture partners; the lack of sole decision-making authority related to Filminera Resources Corporation, which owns the Masbate Project; challenges to title or surface rights; the dependence on key personnel and the ability to attract and retain skilled personnel; the risk of an uninsurable or uninsured loss; adverse climate and weather conditions; litigation risk; competition with other mining companies; community support for B2Gold's operations, including risks related to strikes and the halting of such operations from time to time; conflicts with small scale miners; failures of information systems or information security threats; the ability to maintain adequate internal controls over financial reporting as required by law, including Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act; compliance with anti-corruption laws, and sanctions or other similar measures; social media and B2Gold's reputation; risks affecting Calibre having an impact on the value of the Company's investment in Calibre, and potential dilution of our equity interest in Calibre; as well as other factors identified and as described in more detail under the heading "Risk Factors" in B2Gold's most recent Annual Information Form, B2Gold's current Form 40-F Annual Report and B2Gold's other filings with Canadian securities regulators and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"), which may be viewed at http://www.sedar.com and http://www.sec.gov, respectively (the "Websites"). The list is not exhaustive of the factors that may affect B2Gold's forward-looking statements.

B2Gold's forward-looking statements are based on the applicable assumptions and factors management considers reasonable as of the date hereof, based on the information available to management at such time. These assumptions and factors include, but are not limited to, assumptions and factors related to B2Gold's ability to carry on current and future operations, including: the duration and effects of COVID-19 on our operations and workforce; development and exploration activities; the timing, extent, duration and economic viability of such operations, including any mineral resources or reserves identified thereby; the accuracy and reliability of estimates, projections, forecasts, studies and assessments; B2Gold's ability to meet or achieve estimates, projections and forecasts; the availability and cost of inputs; the price and market for outputs, including gold; foreign exchange rates; taxation levels; the timely receipt of necessary approvals or permits; the ability to meet current and future obligations; the ability to obtain timely financing on reasonable terms when required; the current and future social, economic and political conditions; and other assumptions and factors generally associated with the mining industry.

B2Gold's forward-looking statements are based on the opinions and estimates of management and reflect their current expectations regarding future events and operating performance and speak only as of the date hereof. B2Gold does not assume any obligation to update forward-looking statements if circumstances or management's beliefs, expectations or opinions should change other than as required by applicable law. There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate, and actual results, performance or achievements could differ materially from those expressed in, or implied by, these forward-looking statements. Accordingly, no assurance can be given that any events anticipated by the forward-looking statements will transpire or occur, or if any of them do, what benefits or liabilities B2Gold will derive therefrom. For the reasons set forth above, undue reliance should not be placed on forward-looking statements.

SOURCE B2Gold Corp.

Original post:

B2Gold Recognized as Industry-Leading Responsible Miner - PRNewswire

SG/SM/20467

Following is UN SecretaryGeneral Antnio Guterres address at Columbia University on The State of the Planet, today:

I thank Columbia University for hosting this gathering and I welcome those joining online around the world. We meet in this unusual way as we enter the last month of this most unusual year.

We are facing a devastating pandemic, new heights of global heating, new lows of ecological degradation and new setbacks in our work towards global goals for more equitable, inclusive and sustainable development. To put it simply, the state of the planet is broken. Humanity is waging war on nature. This is suicidal.

Nature always strikes back, and it is already doing so with growing force and fury. Biodiversity is collapsing. One million species are at risk of extinction. Ecosystems are disappearing before our eyes. Deserts are spreading. Wetlands are being lost. Every year, we lose 10 million hectares of forests.

Oceans are overfished and choking with plastic waste. The carbon dioxide they absorb is acidifying the seas. Coral reefs are bleached and dying. Air and water pollution are killing 9 million people annually more than six times the current toll of the pandemic.

And with people and livestock encroaching further into animal habitats and disrupting wild spaces, we could see more viruses and other disease-causing agents jump from animals to humans. Lets not forget that 75 per cent of new and emerging human infectious diseases are zoonotic.

Today, two new authoritative reports from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) spell out how close we are to climate catastrophe.

2020 is on track to be one of the three warmest years on record globally even with the cooling effect of this years La Nia. The past decade was the hottest in human history. Ocean heat is at record levels. This year, more than 80 per cent of the worlds oceans experienced marine heatwaves. In the Arctic, 2020 has seen exceptional warmth, with temperatures more than 3C above average and more than 5C in northern Siberia.

Arctic sea ice in October was the lowest on record and now re-freezing has been the slowest on record. Greenland ice has continued its long-term decline, losing an average of 278 gigatons a year. Permafrost is melting and so releasing methane, a potent greenhouse gas. Apocalyptic fires and floods, cyclones and hurricanes are increasingly the new normal.

The North Atlantic hurricane season has seen 30 storms, more than double the long-term average and breaking the record for a full season. Central America is still reeling from two back-to-back hurricanes, part of the most intense period for such storms in recent years. Last year such disasters cost the world $150 billion.

COVID-19 lockdowns have temporarily reduced emissions and pollution. But, carbondioxide levels are still at record highs and rising: In 2019, carbondioxide levels reached 148 per cent of pre-industrial levels. In 2020, the upward trend has continued despite the pandemic. Methane soared even higher to 260 per cent. Nitrous oxide, a powerful greenhouse gas, but also a gas that harms the ozone layer, has escalated by 123 per cent.

Meanwhile, climate policies have yet to rise to the challenge. Emissions are 62 per cent higher now than when international climate negotiations began in 1990. Every tenth of a degree of warming matters.

Today, we are at 1.2C of warming and already witnessing unprecedented climate extremes and volatility in every region and on every continent. We are headed for a thundering temperature rise of 3C to 5C this century. The science is crystal clear: To limit temperature rise to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels, the world needs to decrease fossil fuel production by roughly 6 per cent every year between now and 2030.

Instead, the world is going in the opposite direction planning an annual increase of 2 per cent. The fallout of the assault on our planet is impeding our efforts to eliminate poverty and imperilling food security. And it is making our work for peace even more difficult, as the disruptions drive instability, displacement and conflict.

It is no coincidence that 70 per cent of the most climate vulnerable countries are also among the most politically and economically fragile. It is not happenstance that of the 15 countries most susceptible to climate risks, 8 host a United Nations peacekeeping or special political mission.

As always, the impacts fall most heavily on the worlds most vulnerable people. Those who have done the least to cause the problem are suffering the most. Even in the developed world, the marginalized are the first victims of disasters and the last to recover.

Lets be clear: Human activities are at the root of our descent towards chaos. But, that means human action can help solve it. Making peace with nature is the defining task of the twenty-first century. It must be the top, top priority for everyone, everywhere.

In this context, the recovery from the pandemic is an opportunity. We can see rays of hope in the form of a vaccine. But, there is no vaccine for the planet. Nature needs a bailout.

In overcoming the pandemic, we can also avert climate cataclysm and restore our planet. This is an epic policy test. But, ultimately, this is a moral test. The trillions of dollars needed for COVID-19 recovery is money that we are borrowing from future generations. Every last penny. We cannot use those resources to lock in policies that burden them with a mountain of debt on a broken planet.

It is time to flick the green switch. We have a chance to not simply reset the world economy, but to transform it: A sustainable economy driven by renewable energies will create new jobs, cleaner infrastructure and a resilient future. An inclusive world will help ensure that people can enjoy better health and the full respect of their human rights, and live with dignity on a healthy planet.

COVID-19 recovery and our planets repair must be the two sides of the same coin. Let me start with the climate emergency. We face three imperatives in addressing the climate crisis:

First, we need to achieve global carbon neutrality within the next three decades. Second, we have to align global finance behind the Paris Agreement, the worlds blueprint for climate action. Third, we must deliver a breakthrough on adaptation to protect the world and especially the most vulnerable people and countries from climate impacts.

Let me take these in turn. First, carbon neutrality netzero emissions of greenhouse gases. In recent weeks, we have seen important positive developments. The European Union has committed to become first climateneutral continent by 2050 and I expect it will decide to reduce its emissions to at least 55 per cent below 1990 levels by 2030. The United Kingdom, Japan, Republic of Korea and more than 110 countries have committed to carbon neutrality by 2050. The incoming United States administration has announced exactly the same goal. China has committed to get there before 2060.

This means that, by early next year, countries representing more than 65 per cent of global carbondioxide emissions and more than 70 per cent of the world economy will have made ambitious commitments to carbon neutrality.

We must turn this momentum into a movement. The central objective of the United Nations for 2021 is to build a truly Global Coalition for Carbon Neutrality. I firmly believe that 2021 can be a new kind of leap year the year of a quantum leap towards carbon neutrality.

Every country, city, financial institution and company should adopt plans for transitioning to netzero emissions by 2050 and I encourage the main emitters to lead the way in taking decisive action now to get on the right path and to achieve this vision, which means cutting global emissions by 45 per cent by 2030 compared with 2010 levels. And this must be clear in the nationally determined contributions.

Every individual must also do their part as consumers, as producers, as investors. Technology is on our side. Sound economic analysis is our ally. More than half the coal plants operating today cost more to run than building new renewables from scratch. The coal business is going up in smoke.

The International Labour Organization (ILO) estimates that, despite inevitable job losses, the clean energy transition will result in the creation of 18 million jobs by 2030.

But, a just transition is absolutely critical. We must recognize the human costs of the energy shift. Social protection, temporary basic income, re-skilling and up-skilling can support workers and ease the changes caused by decarbonization. Renewable energy is now the first choice not just for the environment, but for the economy.

But, there are worrying signs. Some countries have used the crisis to roll back environmental protections. Others are expanding natural resource exploitation and retreating from climate ambition. The G20 members, in their rescue packages, are now spending 50 per cent more on sectors linked to fossilfuel production and consumption, than on low-carbon energy.

And beyond announcements, all must pass a credibility test. Let me take one example, the example of shipping. If the shipping sector was a country, it would be the worlds sixth biggest greenhousegas emitter. At last years Climate Action Summit, we launched the Getting to Zero Shipping Coalition to push for zero emissions deep sea vessels by 2030.

Yet, current policies are not in line with those pledges. We need to see enforceable regulatory and fiscal steps so that the shipping industry can deliver its commitments. Otherwise, the net zero ship will have sailed. Exactly the same applies to aviation.

The Paris signatories are obligated to submit their revised and enhanced nationally determined contributions with their 2030 emissions cut targets. Ten days from now, along with France and the United Kingdom, I am convening a Climate Ambition Summit to mark the fifth anniversary of the Paris Agreement [on climate change].

Less than a year from now, we will meet in Glasgow for the twenty-sixth Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP26).

These moments are opportunities we cannot miss for nations to detail how they will build forward and build better, acknowledging the common but differentiated responsibilities in the light of national circumstances as said in the Paris Agreement but with the common goal of carbon neutrality by 2050.

Second, let me now turn to key question of finance. The commitments to netzero emissions are sending a clear signal to investors, markets and finance ministers. But we need to go further.

We need all Governments to translate these pledges into policies, plans and targets with specific timelines. This will provide certainty and confidence for businesses and the financial sector to invest for net zero.

It is time to put a price on carbon. To phase out fossil fuel finance and end fossil fuel subsidies. To stop building new coal power plants and halt coal power financing domestically and overseas. To shift the tax burden from income to carbon, and from taxpayers to polluters. To integrate the goal of carbon neutrality into all economic and fiscal policies and decisions. And to make climate-related financial risk disclosures mandatory.

Funding should flow to the green economy, resilience, adaptation and just transition programmes. We need to align all public and private financial flows behind the Paris Agreement and the Sustainable Development Goals. Multilateral, regional and national development institutions, and private banks, must all commit to align their lending to the global netzero objective.

I call on all asset owners and managers to decarbonize their portfolios and to join key initiatives and partnerships launched by the United Nations, including the Global Investors for Sustainable Development Alliance and the Net-Zero Asset Owners Alliance today with $5.1 trillion of assets.

Companies need to adjust their business models and investors need to demand information from companies on the resilience of those models. The worlds pension funds manage $32 trillion in assets, putting them in a unique position to move the needle must move the needle and lead the way. I appeal to developed countries to fulfil their long-standing promise to provide $100 billion annually to support developing countries in reaching our shared climate goals.

We are not there yet. This is a matter of equity, fairness, solidarity and enlightened self-interest. And I ask all countries to reach a compromise on article 6 of the Paris Agreement, as they prepare for COP26, to get us the clear, fair and environmentally sound rules carbon markets need to fully function. I welcome the work of the task force launched in September, with members representing 20 sectors and 6 continents, to develop a blueprint for large-scale private carbon offset markets.

Third, we need a breakthrough on adaptation and resilience. We are in a race against time to adapt to a rapidly changing climate. Adaptation must not be the forgotten component of climate action. Until now, adaptation represents only 20 per cent of climate finance, reaching $30 billion on average in 2017 and 2018. This hinders our essential work for disaster risk reduction. It also isnt smart.

The Global Commission on Adaptation found that every $1 invested in adaptation could yield almost $4 in benefits. We have both a moral imperative and a clear economic case for supporting developing countries to adapt and build resilience to current and future climate impacts.

Before COP26, all donors and the multilateral and national development banks should commit to increase the share of adaptation and resilience finance to at least 50 per cent of their climate finance support.

Early warning systems, climate-resilient infrastructure, improved dry land agriculture, mangrove protection and other steps can give the world a double dividend: avoiding future losses and generating economic gains and other benefits.

We need to move to large-scale, preventive and systematic adaptation support. This is especially urgent for small island developing States, which face an existential threat. The race to resilience is as important as the race to net zero.

But, we must remember: There can be no separating climate action from the larger planetary picture. Everything is interlinked the global commons and global wellbeing. That means we must act more broadly, more holistically, across many fronts, to secure the health of our planet on which all life depends. Nature feeds us, clothes us, quenches our thirst, generates our oxygen, shapes our culture and our faiths and forges our very identity.

2020 was supposed to have been a super year for nature, but the pandemic has had other plans for us. Now we must use 2021 to address our planetary emergency. Next year, countries will meet in Kunming to forge a post2020 biodiversity framework to halt the extinction crisis and put the world on a pathway to living in harmony with nature.

The world has not met any of the global biodiversity targets set for 2020. And so, we need much more ambition and greater commitment to deliver on measurable targets and means of implementation, particularly finance and monitoring mechanisms.

This means: More and bigger effectively managed conservation areas, so that our assault on species and ecosystems can be halted; biodiversity-positive agriculture and fisheries, reducing our overexploitation and destruction of the natural world; phasing out negative subsidies the subsidies that destroy healthy soils, pollute our waterways and lead us to fish our oceans empty; shifting from unsustainable and nature-negative extractive resource mining, and to broader sustainable consumption patterns.

Biodiversity is not just cute and charismatic wildlife; it is the living, breathing web of life.

Also in 2021, countries will hold the Ocean Conference to protect and advance the health of the worlds marine environments. Overfishing must stop; chemical and solid waste pollution plastics in particular must be reduced drastically; marine reserves must increase significantly; and coastal areas need greater protection.

The blue economy offers remarkable potential. Already, goods and services from the ocean generate $2.5 trillion each year and contribute over 31 million direct full-time jobs at least until the pandemic struck. We need urgent action on a global scale to reap these benefits but protect the worlds seas and oceans from the many pressures they face.

Next years global conference on sustainable transport in Beijing must also strengthen this vital sector while addressing its negative environmental footprint.

The Food Systems Summit must aim to transform global food production and consumption. Food systems are one of the main reasons we are failing to stay within our planets ecological boundaries.

At the beginning of 2021, we will launch the United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration focused on preventing, halting and reversing the degradation of forests, land and other ecosystems worldwide. The Decade is a rallying cry for all who want to tackle the twin crises of biodiversity loss and climate change with practical and hands-on action.

The International Conference on Chemicals Management will establish a post2020 framework on chemicals and waste. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), sound chemicals management could prevent at least 1.6 million deaths per year.

2021 will also be critical in advancing the New Urban Agenda. The worlds cities are fundamental frontlines on sustainable development vulnerable to disaster yet vectors of innovation and dynamism. Let us not forget that more than 50 per cent of humankind already lives in cities and this number will reach almost 70 per cent in 2050.

Next year, in short, gives us a wealth of opportunities to stop the plunder and start the healing. One of our best allies is nature itself. Drastically reducing deforestation and systemically restoring forests and other ecosystems is the single largest nature-based opportunity for climate mitigation. Indeed, nature-based solutions could provide one third of the net reductions in greenhousegas emissions required to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement.

The World Economic Forum has estimated that business opportunities across nature could create 191 million jobs by 2030. Africas Great Green Wall alone has created 335,000 jobs.

Indigenous knowledge, distilled over millennia of close and direct contact with nature, can help to point the way. Indigenous peoples make up less than 6 per cent of the worlds population, yet are stewards of 80 per cent of the worlds biodiversity on land. Already, we know that nature managed by indigenous peoples is declining less rapidly than elsewhere. With indigenous peoples living on land that is among the most vulnerable to climate change and environmental degradation, it is time to heed their voices, reward their knowledge and respect their rights.

Lets also recognize the central role of women. The impacts of climate change and environmental degradation fall most heavily on women. They are 80 per cent of those displaced by climate change. But, women are also the backbone of agriculture and key stewards of natural resources. They are among the worlds leading environmental human rights defenders. And womens representation in national parliaments has been linked directly to the signing of climate action agreements. As humankind devises strategies for natural resource governance, environmental preservation and building a green economy, we need more women decisionmakers at the table.

I have detailed an emergency, but I also see hope. I see a history of advances that show what can be done from rescuing the ozone layer to reducing extinction rates to expanding protected areas. Many cities are becoming greener. The circular economy is reducing waste. Environmental laws have growing reach. At least 155 United Nations Member States now legally recognize that a healthy environment is a basic human right.

And the knowledge base is greater than ever. I was very pleased to learn by President [Lee] Bollinger that Columbia University has launched a Climate School, the first new school here in a quarter of a century congratulations. This is a wonderful demonstration of scholarship and leadership. I am delighted to know that so many members of the Sustainable Development Solutions Network are with us today as special guests university presidents, chancellors, deans, faculty and other scholars.

The United Nations Academic Impact initiative is working with institutions of higher education across the globe. The contributions of universities are essential to our success.

A new world is taking shape. More and more people are recognizing the limits of conventional yardsticks such as gross domestic product (GDP), in which environmentally damaging activities count as economic positives.

Mindsets are shifting. More and more people are understanding the need for their own daily choices to reduce their carbon footprint and respect planetary boundaries. And we see inspiring waves of social mobilization by young people. From protests in the streets to advocacy on-line; from classroom education to community engagement; from voting booths to places of work, young people are pushing their elders to do what is right. And we are in a university.

This is a moment of truth for people and planet alike. COVID-19 and climate have brought us to a threshold. We cannot go back to the old normal of inequality, injustice and heedless dominion over the Earth. Instead, we must step towards a safer, more sustainable and equitable path.

We have a blueprint: The 2030 Agenda, the Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Agreement on climate change. The door is open; the solutions are there. Now is the time to transform humankinds relationship with the natural world and with each other. And we must do so together. Solidarity is humanity. Solidarity is survival. That is the lesson of 2020. With the world in disunity and disarray trying to contain the pandemic, lets learn the lesson and change course for the pivotal period ahead. Thank you.

For information media. Not an official record.

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COVID-19 Recovery, Planetary Repair 'Two Sides of Same Coin', Secretary-General Says in University Address, Warning More Viruses Could Jump from...

TORONTO, Dec. 01, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Class 1 Nickel and Technologies Ltd. (CSE:NICO) ("Class 1" or the "Company") is pleased to report an addition to its updated National Instrument 43-101 Mineral Resource Estimate (see press release issued by the Company on November 2, 2020) on its 100% owned Alexo-Dundonald Nickel Project (the Project or the Property) located about 45 km northeast of Timmins, Ontario.

The Project comprises four foundation Mineral Resources: Alexo North; Alexo South; Dundonald North; and Dundonald South, which are situated within a regionally folded package of mafic to ultramafic (basalt and komatiite flows) rocks that trend through the strategic land package (Figure 2). A large portion of the Property remains untested by drilling.

Class 1 President Mr. Benjamin H Cooper stated, as our expert technical team continues to source, collate and interpret comprehensive data relating to the four known Mineral Resources at Alexo-Dundonald, our knowledge and understanding of the 14 km mineralized system also continues to grow.

Modern validation of the Mineral Resource as well as intensive modelling of available data have now evaluated a series of previously known deeper diamond holes that have intersected considerable nickel sulphide mineralization tonnage to a depth from surface of approximately 650 m.

P&Es Senior Associate Geologist, William Stone, Ph.D., P.Geo said, these deeper intersections reveal potential to expand the Deposit by drilling down-dip/down-plunge of the apparent mineralization trend.

Class 1 President Mr. Benjamin H Cooper stated 1.25 million tonnes (Mt) of Indicated and 2.01 Mt of Inferred Mineral Resource is a nice solid starting point for the Company. As we continue to invest more capital wisely and systematically into expanding these open Mineral Resources, our experienced nickel team expects the Mineral Resource Estimate to increase substantially.

Following modelling of additional deep areas of the Dundonald North Deposit, Class 1 is now reporting a newly updated total estimated Inferred Mineral Resource of 2.01 Mt with an average grade of 1.01% Nickel (Table 1). The Indicated Mineral Resource of 1.25 Mt with an average grade of 0.99% Ni remains unchanged from the November 2, 2020 press release. Details of the current pit-constrained and out-of-pit Mineral Resources are provided in Table 2.

Table 1: Alexo-Dundonald Updated Mineral Resource Estimate Summary

(M)

%

NI 43-101 disclosure:(1) Mineral Resources which are not Mineral Reserves do not have demonstrated economic viability. (2)The estimate of Mineral Resources may be materially affected by environmental, permitting, legal, title, taxation, socio-political, marketing, or other relevant issues.(3)The Inferred Mineral Resource in this estimate has a lower level of confidence than that applied to an Indicated Mineral Resource and must not be converted to a Mineral Reserve. It is reasonably expected that the majority of the Inferred Mineral Resource could be upgraded to an Indicated Mineral Resource with continued exploration. (4)The Mineral Resources in this report were estimated using the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum (CIM), CIM Standards on Mineral Resources and Reserves, Definitions and Guidelines prepared by the CIM Standing Committee on Reserve Definitions and adopted by the CIM Council. (5)The historical open pit mined areas were removed from the MRE.(6) US$ metal prices of $7.35/lb NI, $3/lb Cu, $20/lb Co, $1,500/oz Au, $900/oz Pt and $1,650/oz Pd were used in the NSR calculation with respective process recoveries of 89%, 90%, 40%, 50%, 50% and 50%(7) Pit constrained Mineral Resource NSR cut-off considers ore crushing, transport, processing and general and administration (G&A) costs that respectively combine for a total of ($2 + $6 + $20 + $2) = CAD$30/tonne processed.(8) Out-of-pit Mineral Resource NSR cut-off considers ore mining, crushing, transport, processing and G&A costs that respectively combine for a total of ($58 + $2 + $6 + $20 + $4) = CAD$90/tonne processed.(9) The out-of-pit Mineral Resource grade blocks were quantified above the $90/t cut-off, below the constraining pit shell and within the constraining mineralized wireframes. Additionally, only groups of blocks that exhibited continuity and reasonable potential stope geometry were included. All orphaned blocks and narrow strings of blocks were excluded. The longhole stoping with backfill mining method was assumed for the out-of-pit Mineral Resource Estimate calculation.

Table 2 Pit Constrained and Out-of-Pit Estimated Mineral Resources

The NI 43-101 compliant Updated Mineral Resource Estimate was prepared by Yungang Wu, P.Geo. and Eugene Puritch, P.Eng, FEC, CET of P&E Mining Consultants Inc, both Independent Qualified Persons as defined by NI 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects. The Updated Mineral Resource Estimate was undertaken for pit constrained and out-of-pit nickel, copper, and cobalt Mineral Resources. The total Indicated Mineral Resource Estimate based on NSR cut-off values of CDN$30 per tonne for the pit constrained Mineral Resource and CDN$90 per tonne for the out-of-pit Mineral Resource. The total Indicated Mineral Resource based on a Net Smelter Return (NSR) for the out-of-pit Mineral Resource is 1.25 Mt at 0.99%, 0.04% Cu and 0.02% Co for a total of 27.35 Mlbs of contained nickel and Inferred Mineral Resources total 2.0 Mt at 1.01% Ni, 0.03% Cu and 0.02% Co (44.51 Mlbs contained nickel).

The Alexo-Dundonald Project was previously mined via a direct shipping model, and the Preliminary Economic Assessment that the Company will produce will be designed around similar principles.

The Updated Mineral Resource Estimate was completed by P&E Mining Consultants Inc (P&E) and has been reviewed internally by the Company. The full NI 43-101 Technical Report in respect of the Updated Mineral Resource Estimate (the Technical Report) will be available on SEDAR (www.sedar.com) under the Companys issuer profile by December 17, 2020.

Quality Assurance and Quality Control

Three programs of due diligence sampling were conducted between 2010 and 2020 with 161 samples collected and analyzed at AGAT Laboratories, an ISO accredited facility in Mississauga, Ontario. Good correlation between original and due diligence assays was observed. In addition, during the same period 2,420 assays were checked against independently acquired laboratory analysis certificates with only a few minor errors encountered and corrected.

Qualified Person

The Updated Mineral Resource Estimate disclosed in this press release was prepared under the supervision of Eugene Puritch, P.Eng., FEC, CET of P&E Mining Consultants Inc., and the supporting Technical Report will be available on SEDAR (www.sedar.com) under the Companys issued profile by December 17, 2020. Mr. Puritch who is an Independent Qualified Person as defined under NI 43-101, has reviewed and approved the Mineral Resource Estimate and technical and scientific information disclosed in this press release.

About Class 1:

Class 1 Nickel and Technologies Limited (CSE: NICO) is a Mineral Resource Company focused on the development of its 100% owned Alexo-Dundonald Project, a portfolio of komatiite hosted magmatic nickel-copper-cobalt sulphide Mineral Resources located near Timmins, Ontario. The Company also holds an option over the Somanike komatiite hosted nickel copper project in Quebec, which includes the famous Marbridge Mine.

For more information, please contact:

Benjamin Cooper, PresidentT: 416.454.0166E:bcooper@class1nickel.com

For additional information please visit our new website atwww.class1nickel.comand our Twitter feed: @ClassNickel

Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its regulation services provider has reviewed or accepted responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this press release.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements and Information

Mineral Resources that are not Mineral Reserves do not have demonstrated economic viability; the estimate of Mineral Resources in the updated Mineral Resource statement may be materially affected by environmental, permitting, legal, title, taxation, socio-political, marketing, or other relevant issues. There is no certainty that the Indicated Mineral Resources will be converted to the Probable Mineral Reserve category, and there is no certainty that the updated Mineral Resource statement will be realized.

The Mineral Resource Estimates contained herein may be subject to legal, political, environmental or other risks that could materially affect the potential development of such Mineral Resources. See the Technical Report, once filed, for more information with respect to the key assumptions, parameters, methods and risks of determination associated with the foregoing.

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding the impact and implications of the Updated Mineral Resource Estimate and drill results of the Company, the growth potential and possible economics of the project and the Companys understanding of the Alexo-Dundonald Project, the development potential and timetable of the project; the estimation of Mineral Resources; realization of Mineral Resource Estimates; the anticipated timing of the Preliminary Economic Assessment; the timing and amount of estimated future exploration; the anticipate results of the Companys planned 2021 drill program on the Alexo-Dundonald Project and its possible impact on the potential size of the Mineral Resource Estimate; costs of future activities; capital and operating expenditures; success of exploration activities; the anticipated ability of investors to continue benefitting from the Companys low discovery costs; technical expertise and support from local communities; and the anticipated timing of filing the Technical Report. Generally, forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as plans, expects or does not expect, is expected, budget, schedule, estimates, forecasts, intends, continue, anticipates or does not anticipate, or believes, or variations of such words and phrases or statements that certain actions, events or results may, could, would, will, might or will be taken, occur or be achieved. Forward-looking statements are made based upon certain assumptions and other important facts that, if untrue, could cause the actual results, performance or achievements of Class 1 to be materially different from future results, performances or achievements expressed or implied by such statements. Such statements and information are based on numerous assumptions regarding present and future business strategies and the environment in which Class 1 will operate in the future. Certain important factors that could cause actual results, performances or achievements to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements include, amongst others, currency fluctuations, the global economic climate, dilution, share price volatility and competition. Forward-looking statements are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other important factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements of Class 1 to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements, including but not limited to: the impact the COVID 19 pandemic may have on the Companys activities and the economy in general; the impact of the recovery post COVID 19 pandemic and its impact on nickel and other metals; there being no assurance that the exploration program will result in expanded Mineral Resources; risks and uncertainties inherent to Mineral Resource Estimates; receipt of necessary approvals; general business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties; future gold and other metal prices; accidents, labour disputes and shortages; environmental and other risks of the mining industry, including without limitation, risks and uncertainties discussed in the latest annual information form of the Company, in the Technical Report to be filed and in other continuous disclosure documents of the Company available under the Companys profile at http://www.sedar.com. Although Class 1 has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Class 1 does not undertake to update any forward-looking statements, except in accordance with applicable securities laws.

Cautionary Note to U.S. Investors Concerning Estimates of Mineral Resources

These Mineral Resource Estimates have been prepared in accordance with the requirements of Canadian securities laws, which differ from the requirements of U.S. securities laws. The terms Mineral Resource, Measured Mineral Resource, Indicated Mineral Resource and Inferred Mineral Resource are defined in NI 43-101 and recognized by Canadian securities laws but are not defined terms or recognized under U.S. securities laws. U.S. investors are cautioned not to assume that any part or all of mineral deposits in these categories will ever be upgraded to Mineral Reserves. Inferred Mineral Resources have a great amount of uncertainty as to their existence, and great uncertainty as to their economic and legal feasibility. It cannot be assumed that all or any part of an Inferred Mineral Resource will ever be upgraded to a higher category. Under Canadian securities laws, estimates of Inferred Mineral Resources may not form the basis of Feasibility or Pre-Feasibility studies. U.S. investors are cautioned not to assume that all or any part of an Inferred Mineral Resource exists or is economically or legally mineable. Accordingly, these Mineral Resource Estimates and related information may not be comparable to similar information made public by U.S. companies subject to the reporting and disclosure requirements under the U.S. federal securities laws and the rules and regulations thereunder.

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Class 1 Nickel and Technologies Reports Further Increase to NI 43-101 NI-CU-CO Mineral Resources - Junior Mining Network

Learn the basics of nature and landscape photography during this free, multi-day online class with Friends of Netarts Bay WEBSCalling all budding nature and landscape photographers: Join the Friends of Netarts Bay WEBS and professional photographer Jim Young for a virtual photography course starting Oct. 8. This multi-day course is designed for emerging photographers who want to learn the basics of photography and composition.The free series kicks off on Oct. 8 at 6:30 pm with an introduction to photography with Jim Young. Then, photographers are encouraged to head out into nature over the next week to put their brand new skills to use.

The following class will be held Oct. 17 at 6:30 p.m. with an opportunity to have your photography reviewed with an honest (but kind) critique of any submitted photos.Participants will need to have their own camera, and should be familiar with transferring photos to a computer.The instructor, Jim Yong, is a resident of Netarts/Oceanside and has been working as a professional photographer for many years. Jim also had a long and successful career as a marine biologist. He now spends his time documenting the beauty of the North Oregon Coast area and other places he travels to through the lens.This event is part of the Explore Nature series of hikes, walks, paddles and outdoor adventures. Explore Nature events are hosted by a consortium of volunteer community and non-profit organizations, and are meaningful nature-based experiences which highlight the unique beauty of Tillamook County and the work being done to preserve and conserve the areas natural resources and natural resource-based economy.To register, visit explorenaturetillamookcoast.com. And be sure to follow the Friends of Netarts Bay WEBS and the Explore Nature Series on Facebook and Instagram for more educational events.

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Virtual Photography on the Bay Class starts Oct. 8 Tillamook County Pioneer - Tillamook County Pioneer

There is no future for business as usual. Our current economic system, which arguably has succeeded in creating unprecedented economic output, wealth and human welfare over the past 70 years, has led to exacerbated social inequalities and loss of nature at an extent that threatens the stability of our economies and societies and could maybe even lead to a collapse of civilisation as we know it.

To add some numbers: over 70% of us are affected by rising inequalities, a third of the worlds land is severely degraded, we are losing forests at an alarming rate (one football field of forests every six seconds in 2019), and up to 1 million species are threatened with extinction. Over half of the worlds GDP ($44 trillion) is threatened by such nature loss. The system is not working.

Turning the tide requires deep transformations of socio-economic systems, as highlighted by the World Economic Forums New Nature Economy Report II on The Future of Nature and Business. For example, the sustainable management of forests can create $230 billion in business opportunities and 16 million jobs by 2030. Shifting the energy and extractives socio-economic system to circular and resource-efficient models can lead to $2.3tn in business opportunities and 30 million jobs by 2030, and working with nature in the infrastructure and built environment system can generate a total of $3 trillion business opportunities and 117 million jobs by 2030.

To accelerate the transformation towards a climate- and nature-positive economy, His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales has established The Circular Bioeconomy Alliance. The Alliance activities are guided by a 10-point Action Plan, co-created by a multi-stakeholder coalition with the goal to place nature back at the centre of our economy.

I have been deeply encouraged by the number of scientists and practitioners who have come together to develop a 10-point Circular Bioeconomy Action Plan inspired by my Sustainable Markets Initiative and its Circular Bioeconomy Alliance," he said.

"It is time for leaders, across all disciplines, to step forward, be bold in their ambition and demonstrate what is possible so that others can follow.

A circular bioeconomy offers a conceptual framework for using renewable natural capital to transform and manage our land, food, health and industrial systems, with the goal of achieving sustainable wellbeing in harmony with nature.

While the circular bioeconomy needs advanced technology and innovation as well as traditional knowledge to succeed, it ultimately relies on biodiversity as its true engine. This is because biodiversity determines the capacity of biological systems to adapt and evolve in a changing environment, and therefore is crucial for ensuring the resilience and sustainability of our biological resources. We need to acknowledge this fundamental role, not only through appropriate conservation measures, but also through regionally-tailored market-based instruments to provide incentives for farmers, forest owners and biobased companies to invest back in biodiversity.

Biological resources are central to a circular bioeconomy

Moving towards a climate- and nature-positive economy not only means replacing fossil energy with renewable energy, it also means moving to fossil-free materials, substituting carbon-intense products like plastics, concrete, steel and synthetic textiles for lower carbon alternatives. This helps to mitigate climate change and also provides other positive environmental impacts. A climate- and nature-positive economy is simply not possible without using a new range of renewable biobased materials that can replace and outperform carbon-intense materials.

The global population is expected to reach close to 9 billion people by 2030 inclusive of 3 billion new middle-class consumers.This places unprecedented pressure on natural resources to meet future consumer demand.

A circular economy is an industrial system that is restorative or regenerative by intention and design. It replaces the end-of-life concept with restoration, shifts towards the use of renewable energy, eliminates the use of toxic chemicals and aims for the elimination of waste through the superior design of materials, products, systems and business models.

Nothing that is made in a circular economy becomes waste, moving away from our current linear take-make-dispose economy. The circular economys potential for innovation, job creation and economic development is huge: estimates indicate a trillion-dollar opportunity.

The World Economic Forum has collaborated with the Ellen MacArthur Foundation for a number of years to accelerate the Circular Economy transition through Project MainStream - a CEO-led initiative that helps to scale business driven circular economy innovations.

Join our project, part of the World Economic Forums Shaping the Future of Environment and Natural Resource Security System Initiative, by contacting us to become a member or partner.

This shift is also an opportunity to modernize and make industries more circular: renewable biological resources like forest resources, are, if managed sustainably, circular by nature and often easier to remanufacture. Indeed sustainable forestry and wood products were the basis for original circular economies around the world. Several important sectors like chemicals, textiles, plastics or construction now need new conceptual business models and innovations to become more circular and lower carbon industries. The circular bioeconomy can be a catalyst.

For example, we can now transform wood, the most versatile biological material on earth, into a new revolutionary material called nanocellulose: five times stronger than steel but also five times lighter. The first car made of nanocellulose was unveiled last year in Japan. A new generation of sustainable and circular wood-based textiles with a five-times lower carbon footprint than plastic fibres like polyester is now possible too. Engineered wood products, such as Cross Laminate Timber (CLT),are the most effective way to reduce the carbon footprint of our buildings and the construction sector, currently dominated by two carbon-intense and resource-intense materials: concrete and steel.

Since biological resources, even if renewable, are not unlimited, it is essential to stress the need to ensure sustainable, regenerative and circular forestry or feedstock systems. We need to develop business models and design products and services in new ways to decouple business prosperity from the mere consumption of products. It is also about making products that can be easily reused and recycled, minimising waste and maximising their value along their life cycle.

An opportunity to tackle inequality

One of the most important societal challenges of this century is to address inequalities and to ensure inclusive prosperity, including jobs and infrastructures in rural and depressed areas. The way biological resources are owned and distributed and even the difficulties related to their mobilisation, transport and processing offer potential opportunities. Forest resources in Europe are a good example: they occupy more than 40% of the land and are owned by about 16 million forest owners. The forest-based sector already now includes around 400,000 companies, mostly small enterprises, and provides more than 3 million jobs. This is a very valuable socio-ecological infrastructure that needs to be acknowledged and nurtured. It is true that mobilising, transporting and processing fossil resources like oil is much easier than producing, managing (for 100 years), transporting and processing wood. But this difficulty is at the same time its strength: redistributing wealth, jobs and infrastructures will ensure that we have human capital ready to take care of our natural capital.

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What's a 'circular bioeconomy' and how can it save the planet? - World Economic Forum

Governments around the world have launched economic recovery packages in response to the recession brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. Two key themes feature prominently: investments in digitalisation and green technologies. Both China and the EU have established reactivation plans supporting 5G telecommunications networks, big data, and artificial intelligence (Meinhardt 2020, European Council 2020). The EU has further committed its recovery to moving the region towards carbon neutrality by 2050, proposing a massive expansion of the electric car market and related charging infrastructure (European Commission 2020). These demand drivers are expected to accelerate the arrival of the age of copper (Taylor 2020). The red metal conducts both heat and electricity, and is a key input for global manufacturing, electrical equipment, industrial machinery, and construction. Chinas post-pandemic rebound has already translated into higher orders. In June 2020, China recorded the highest ever monthly imports of copper (Reuters 2020). Are copper producers prepared to leverage this new era for their development?

These trillion-dollar, multi-year recovery plans require significant quantities of copper. This will accelerate the demand for the metal which has picked up steadily since 2016. This rise in demand is thanks in part to coppers central role in the digital and green economy of the future. Clean energy is the fastest growing segment to support electrification, with solar panels and wind turbines requiring some 12 times more copper than previous generation methods (Copper Development Association 2020a). Further, electric vehicles use four times the amount of copper used in internal combustion engines (Glencore 2017). A Chinese national 5G network will require some 72,000 tons of copper (Mills 2020). COVID-19 has also brought copper to the forefront of the healthcare industry due to its antimicrobial properties, adding entirely new sources of demand (Copper Development Association 2020b). Even before the pandemic, it was estimated that the sector would drive one million metric tonnes of demand over the next 20 years (Morrison 2020). While demand in 2020 may yet fluctuate (as countries respond to the pandemic), the fundamentals of copper demand have changed for the better (Hall 2020, Jacks and Stuermer 2018).

This boost in future demand is taking place against a backdrop of tightening supply in a globally concentrated industry, contributing to a likely copper deficit (Mining.com 2019). Five countries Chile, Peru, Indonesia, Australia, and Canada export three quarters of traded copper concentrate. The two Latin leaders Chile and Peru are by far the most important in terms of meeting the new demand since they account for close to half of the worlds supply. Chile is home to both the worlds biggest copper mine (Escondida) and the worlds single largest copper company (the state-owned CODELCO) (Chen 2019). This company alone accounts for 10% of the worlds copper.

Stung by end of the supercycle in 2012, CODELCO and other leading miners have operated conservatively. They have focused on consolidating their high-value assets, cutting costs, and boosting productivity. They have also focused on divesting from low-grade projects and limiting exploration and new project development. There are currently very few new projects set to come into operation before 2023. COVID-19 has brought the construction of most of these new projects to a halt. In Chile, CODELCO stopped the underground expansion of its two largest copper mines (El Teniente and Chuquicamata), while Teck Resources Quebrada Blanca 2 announced a six-month delay as it sought to protect its 15,000 strong workforce (Reuters 2020b, Fundacion Terram 2020, Jamasmie 2020). Similarly, Perus largest new project, Anglo Americans Quellaveco, was brought to a standstill for months.

The shutdown of future projects exacerbates the impact of slowdowns in operating mines as a result of the pandemic. Between January and May 2020, Perus copper output fell by 23% (year-on-year), as all of its major mines went into care and maintenance, and 75% of its workforce went home in a nationwide quarantine.1While some employees went back to work by the end of July, output was still below 80%. Peru (the worlds second largest producer) estimates a 20% decline in exports for 2020 (Aquino 2020). While there are concerns about Chilean producers facing similar crises,2output to date has remained steady with a 3% (year-on-year) increase (Figure 1) (Comision Chilena del Cobre 2020). Through the combined effect of shutting down existing operations and pausing new ones, COVID-19 has pushed back the delivery of thousands of tons of copper, just at a time when demand is beginning to pick up. Despite the global economic contraction, in July 2020 copper futures hit their highest level in two years (at $2.97 per lb) as Europe announced its recovery plans (Els 2020).

Figure 1Copper production in January to May 2019 versus 2020 (thousands of tonnes)

Source: CoChilco and Banco Central de Peru.

While copper directly contributes significantly to host-economies (it accounts for 50% of Chilean exports, 30% of Perus, and approximately 10% of fiscal revenue), even greater spillovers can be harnessed (Cochilco 2020). To some extent, mines have operated in isolation from their host economies. In particular, developing countries have struggled to increase the benefits from their engagement in the value chain (De Haas and Poelhekke 2016). Emphasis is often placed on increasing value addition through greater industrialisation of raw materials. Copper producers, however, have shown uneven success in generating shared value around domestic metal processing. For example, returns on copper concentrate smelting remain relatively low, as a result of significant global processing capacity. Further, refining encompasses significant environmental impacts. How to generate more value around mining activities remains a tantalising question for industry and policymakers, as well as for civil society stakeholders. This is especially pressing for those wondering whether the benefits outweigh the social and environmental impacts and risks associated with copper mining.

In recent years, multiple experiences have shown that greater value capture may take place through the development of strong backward linkages to the value chain (Katz and Pietrobelli 2018). This can be achieved through localising the supply base in the host economy. The Chilean copper mining sector procures approximately $12 billion on goods and services annually,3while Perus miners spend $9 billion (INEI 2019). Currently, much of this is spent on foreign goods and services due to limited capabilities and opportunities for local suppliers. Yet, ranging from low-value, simple options such as protective gear and grinding balls to excavators and highly complex engineering services, this industry offers a wide set of opportunities for local suppliers to participate. Australia, for example, has successfully tapped into this GVC upgrading option. It has developed a robust set of METS (mining equipment, technology and services) suppliers, investing $2.7 billion in research and development.4Not only does this serve domestic mining operations, it also helps to achieve export volumes of approximately $10 billion. However, most producing countries in the developing world lag behind in this area. In the past five years, Chile has made some progress, launching the Alta Ley programme.5Similarly, Peru has recently launched a mining technological roadmap (but with limited impact to date, considering the sectors potential and stakeholder expectations) (Bamber and Fernandez-Stark forthcoming).

In this new age of copper, producer countries need to do better. Mining value chains can help them achieve ambitious innovation, sustainability, and inclusiveness goals. Their development requires decisive and coordinated action from diverse public and private sector stakeholders. First, national mining innovation systems must be geared towards supporting existing (and fostering new) competitive suppliers, as well as creating conditions for local players to access industry opportunities. Open innovation platforms can help bridge market failures and information asymmetries (Bnamericas 2019). Second, as the backbone of the future green economy, copper extraction itself has to become more sustainable, reducing its greenhouse gas emissions and water usage.6It is also essential to obtain and maintain social licenses to mine, and to respond to increasingly sustainability-minded customers within the value chain. The industry is already actively seeking to adopt zero-emissions, waterless, and desalinisation solutions within its operations (Leotaud 2020, InvestChile 2019).7Third, it needs to be inclusive both from a gender perspective and in terms of engagements with local communities (Fernandez-Stark et al. 2019). Generating shared value necessarily means increasing participation from all key stakeholders, as well as effectively leveraging local human capital. It is not just good practice, it is good business (Doku 2019).

Economically, Latin America has been hit extremely hard by the COVID-19 pandemic.8The economic reactivation plans of China and the EU can be leveraged to support the economic recovery of the region through their demand for copper. It is now up to these countries to seize the moment and make the most of the opportunity.

Aquino, M (2020), Exclusive: Peru mines set to restart; to hit 80% production in a month industry official, Reuters, 07 May.

Bamber, P and K Fernandez-Stark (forthcoming), Innovation and Competitiveness in the Copper Mining GVC: Developing Local Suppliers in Peru, Inter-American Development Bank.

Bnamericas (2019), Open innovation in copper mining is the name of the game, 29 May.

Chen, J (2019), RANKED: Worlds top copper mines, Mining.com, 02 July.

Comision Chilena del Cobre (2020), Informe seminal del mercado interacional del cobre, 24 July.

Copper Development Association (2020a), Copper is among the Best Conductors of Electricity and Heat, so it is hardly surprisingly that about 60% of Total Copper Use is for these Applications, Copper Alliance.

Copper Development Association (2020b), CDA Position Statement on Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic, Copper Alliance.

De Haas, R and S Poelhekke (2016), Mining matters: Natural resource extraction and local business constraints, VoxEU.org, 22 September.

Doku, L (2019), Why The Mining Industry Needs More Women, Forbes, 24 May.

Else, F (2020), Copper price near 2-year high after Chinese imports rocket, Mining.com, 14 July.

European Commission (2020), A European Green Deal, European Commission, Strategy, Priorities 2019-2024.

European Council (2020), Special meeting of the European Council (17, 18, 19, 20 and 21 July 2020) Conclusions, EUCO 10/20

Fernandez-Stark, K, V Couto and P Blamber (2019), Industry 4.0 in Developing Countries: The Mine of the Future and the Role of Women, World Bank background paper.

Fundacion Terram (2020), Codelco supende obras de Chuqui Subterranea y FTC pide una cuarentena total, 26 March.

Glencore (2017), Annual Report 2017.

Hall, M (2020), How coppers tumultuous year sets the stage for an uncertain future, Mine.

INEI (2019), Peru. Cuentas Nacionales 1950-2018.

InvestChile (2019), Mining: Use of sea water in Chiles copper production to triple in 10 years, InvestChile Blog, 09 January.

Jacks, D and M Stuermer (2018), Drivers of commodity price booms and busts in the long run, VoxEU.org, 07 December.

Katz, J and C Pietrobelli (2018), Natural resource based growth, global value chains and domestic capabilities in the mining industry, Resources Policy 58: 11-20.

Leotaud, V R (2020), Pathways towards zero-emissions copper mines, Mining.com, 28 June.

Meinhardt, C (2020), China bets on new infrastructure to pull the economy out of post-Covid doldrums, Merics, 04 June.

Mills, R (2020), 5G And Metals, Sharecafe, 24 June.

Mining.com (2019), Global copper market under supplied, demand on the rise report.

Morrison, J (2020), Coppers Virus-Killing Powers Were Known Even to the Ancients, Smithsonian, 14 April.

Reuters (2020a), UPDATE 1-Chinas June unwrought copper imports rise to record 656,483 tonnes, Reuters, 14 July.

Reuters (2020b), Codelco to suspend El Teniente mine expansion, cites pandemic, Mining.com, 05 July.

Taylor, C (2020), Welcome to the age of copper: Why the coronavirus pandemic could spark a red metal rally, CNBC, 24 June.

1 http://www.iimp.org.pe/actualidad/coronavirus-por-que-las-empresas-mineras-siguen-operando-en-cuarentena (in Spanish).

2 https://plusmining.com/chile-lucha-por-mantener-la-produccion-de-cobre-a-medida-que-el-coronavirus-se-propaga-entre-los-trabajadores/ (in Spanish).

3 https://si3.bcentral.cl/estadisticas/Principal1/Informes/anuarioCCNN/index_anuario_CCNN_2018.html?chapterIdx=-1&curSubCat=-1

4 http://www.austmine.com.au/About

5 https://corporacionaltaley.cl/en/home/

6 https://copperalliance.eu/benefits-of-copper/green-building/

7 See also https://www.angloamerican.com/futuresmart/stories/our-industry/technology/picture-this-the-waterless-mine

8 https://www.cepal.org/es/comunicados/pandemia-covid-19-llevara-la-mayor-contraccion-la-actividad-economica-la-historia-la (in Spanish).

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COVID-19 and the new age of copper | VOX, CEPR Policy Portal - voxeu.org

BISHKEK (TCA) The Publishers note: Throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, Central Asia was the scene of intense geopolitical struggle and the Great Game between the British and Russian Empires, and later between the Soviet Union and the West, over Afghanistan and neighboring territories. Into the 21st century, Central Asia has become the area of a renewed geopolitical interest, dubbed the New Great Game, largely based on the regions hydrocarbon and mineral wealth. On top of that, the region now is perhaps the most important node in the implementation of Chinas One Belt, One Road initiative through which Beijing aims to get direct access to Western markets. Every week thousands of news appears in the worlds printed and online media and many of them may escape the attention of busy readers. At The Times of Central Asia, we strongly believe that more information can better contribute to peaceful development and better knowledge of this unique region. So we are presenting this Weekly Digest which compiles what other media have reported on Central Asia over the past week.

KAZAKHSTAN

Kazakhstan: Borat creators' attempts to whip up fury achieve mixed results

Some social media users are angry, but officials are taking the high road, for now

Oct 3 The makers of the Borat sequel wanted to bait officials in Kazakhstan into a tetchy reaction for some free publicity. For now, the officials appear reluctant to comply. As part of pre-release publicity campaign, the marketers selling the film opened two social media accounts, on Instagram and Twitter, posing as representatives of the Kazakhstan government. READ MORE: https://eurasianet.org/kazakhstan-borat-creators-attempts-to-whip-up-fury-achieve-mixed-results

Strengthening multidimensional ties between the European Union and the Republic of Kazakhstan during the presidency of Kassym-Jomart Tokayev

Kazakhstan is an important and trusted partner of the European Union. This is embodied in the Enhanced Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (EPCA) with the EU, which entered into force on 1 March 2020, writes political adviser Ipek Tekdemir

Oct 7 The diplomatic relations between the EU and Kazakhstan have increasingly intensified throughout nearly three decades, and the EU member states have been among the first nations to recognize Kazakhstan as an independent state in 1991. The European Union opened its formal diplomatic representation in Kazakhstan shortly after, in 1994. Kazakhstan was the first nation among the countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) to establish a formal representation to the EU, which reflects the strength of the bond. READ MORE: https://www.eureporter.co/eu-2/2020/10/07/strengthening-multidimensional-ties-between-the-european-union-and-the-republic-of-kazakhstan-during-the-presidency-of-kassym-jomart-tokayev/

Capital Market In Kazakhstan Is There A Positive Outlook?

Kazakhstan realizes that it does not have any choice other than developing its economy through non-oil-based sources, such as a strong capital market

Oct 8 The recent outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic has not created new issues for Kazakhstan's economy, but it has uncovered the existing ones. Long before the pandemic it was already clear to the Government that "oil era" was coming to an end and new instruments needed to be developed to attract investment to the country. In response to this challenging reality, the Government will need to apply non - resource based means to boost the economy. Creating a strong capital market to attract regional and foreign investors to Kazakhstan is one such non - resource based measure.READ MORE: https://www.mondaq.com/commoditiesderivativesstock-exchanges/992522/capital-market-in-kazakhstan-is-there-a-positive-outlook

KYRGYZSTAN

Kyrgyzstans Third Revolution

Kyrgyzstans main problem has never been how to encourage political pluralism or fostering a diverse and dynamic civil society. It is the persistent failure of building responsive state institutions capable of providing the most elementary public goods

Oct 8 Kyrgyzstan is again in turmoil following the countrys parliamentary elections on October 4. The day after the election, thousands of demonstrators gathered in central Bishkek to protest the outcome of what opposition leaders described as the dirtiest in the countrys history, ending in a violent showdown between riot police and demonstrators. The fighting went on long into the night, until the protesters overrun the police and seized the presidential palace and the parliament. State power collapsed in the blink of an eye. Now begins the hard part of bringing back law and order and finding a viable path forward. The outcome is genuinely uncertain. There are no boundaries for what kind of interests that can lay claim on political authority. Old and new politicians, criminal groups and political activists all try to fill the power vacuum. READ MORE: http://cacianalyst.org/publications/analytical-articles/item/13643-kyrgyzstans-third-revolution.html

Kyrgyzstan: Politicians mob rampage draws army onto the streets

The events in Bishkek today easily outstrip anything that has happened in this crisis to date

Oct 9 A convicted kidnappers attempt to engineer a seizure of power in Kyrgyzstan by unleashing destructive hordes upon the capital has taken an ominous turn. Sadyr Japarovs supporters have assaulted journalists. His mobs broke up a peaceful rally by pelting participants with rocks and bottles. And one of his men attempted to assassinate a political opponent. READ MORE: https://eurasianet.org/kyrgyzstan-politicians-mob-rampage-draws-army-onto-the-streets

Will Events in Kyrgyzstan Echo In Other Central Asian States?

Regional political experts on how the public reacted to events in Kyrgyzstan and how they could possibly echo in other Central Asian countries

Oct 9 CABAR.asia: How do public and state view the events unfolding in Kyrgyzstan? Baurzhan Tolegenov, political analyst (Kazakhstan): We do not observe prevailing judgment in public discourse. This is clearly conveyed in how people label the current social unrest in Kyrgyzstan. While the events of 2005 and 2010 were unambiguously deemed a revolution, now it ranges from a revolution to a coup. Some observers use a neutral wording events in Kyrgyzstan. At the same time, enthusiasm dwindles as the political crisis unfolds and aggravates. To many, it may appear as if Kyrgyzstan is losing its image of an island of democracy in Central Asia and is now perceived as the country experiencing political turmoil and crisis of statehood. But civic activists in any case support the events in Kyrgyzstan, wherein its more of a lesson for the elites that demonstrates growing weary of the Establishment. READ MORE: https://cabar.asia/en/will-events-in-kyrgyzstan-echo-in-other-central-asian-states

TAJIKISTAN

Whats Important About Tajikistans Presidential Election?

Whats at stake in Tajikistans election isnt the presidency, but what comes next

Oct 8 Kyrgyzstans election-induced semi-revolution has certainly occupied most Central Asian observers this week. But neighboring Tajikistan also has an election approaching, too. Tajikistans presidential election is scheduled for October 11. Tajikistans election will be nothing like the parliamentary polls in Kyrgyzstan. Where in Kyrgyzstan there are various nodes of power and an established precedent of street-protest driven revolutions, Tajikistan has but one node of power: Emomali Rahmon. READ MORE: https://thediplomat.com/2020/10/whats-important-about-tajikistans-presidential-election/

Why Tajikistans president will win a fifth term

Emomali Rahmon has arrested or chased away any better candidates

Oct 9 Elections in Tajikistan are a staid affair compared with Kyrgyzstans. When voters go to the polls to elect a president on October 11th, the ballot paper will offer them a false choice: either tick the box next to the name of Emomali Rahmon, the strongman who has ruled for 28 years, or choose one of four stooges also on the ballot and watch Mr Rahmon storm to victory anyway. The only question is how big a landslide Mr Rahmon will award himself: it would be poor form if he did not better the 84% he won in 2013. READ MORE: https://www.economist.com/asia/2020/10/10/why-tajikistans-president-will-win-a-fifth-term

Yet Another Election With Rahmon

A glance at how the Tajik president has managed to stay in power for nearly three decades

Oct 9 Tajikistan will hold a tightly controlled presidential election on October 11 with five candidates in the race, including the incumbent, long-serving authoritarian Emomali Rahmon, who is running for office for the fifth time. The Tajik Constitution has been amended twice to make it possible for Rahmon to run so many times. Not a single election in which Rahmon claimed victory was deemed free, fair, or democratic by Western observers, who pointed out that Tajikistan has rarely allowed "real" opponents to run in its presidential races. READ MORE: https://www.rferl.org/a/30884643.html

TURKMENISTAN

Residents of Turkmenabat organize a protest following attempts of police officers to close a flea market

The ongoing economic crisis has forced ordinary Turkmen citizens to survive as they can

Oct 8 As has been previously reported, in connection with the economic slump flea markets selling second-hand clothes and other used goods have become popular in recent years in Turkmenistan. Radio Azatlyk reports that about a week ago a flea market appeared in one of the residential district of the city of Turkmenabat. READ MORE: https://en.hronikatm.com/2020/10/residents-of-turkmenabat-organize-a-protest-following-attempts-of-police-officers-to-close-a-flea-market/

Turkmen President Replaces Several Officials, Regional Judges, Prosecutors

Berdymukhammedov has run the former Soviet republic since 2006, tolerating no dissent and becoming the center of an elaborate personality cult

Oct 9 Turkmenistan's authoritarian President Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov has replaced several officials, regional judges, and prosecutors. According to state media reports, Berdymukhammedov sacked Mergen Gurdov from the post of the chairman of the State Migration Service; Bekmyrat Ovezov became the service's new chief. No explanation for the moves was given. READ MORE: https://www.rferl.org/a/turkmen-president-replaces-several-officials-regional-judges-prosecutors/30884212.html

EBRD and EU help Turkmenistan polystyrene moulder maintain growth

In last three years, the EBRD and EU helped a Turkmen company introduce ISO 9001:2015, a quality standard required to start exporting its products to Kazakhstan, Georgia and Ukraine, and provided support to introduce a financial reporting system in accordance with international principles

Oct 9 In Turkmenistan, a country highly reliant on oil and gas exports, thoughtful diversification of economic activity and the development of solid small and medium-sized enterprises is key to ensuring sustainable growth. Leveraging assistance from the EBRD and European Union (EU), the evolution of one local enterprise, Ak Hunji, struck the perfect balance between these priorities. Established in 2009, Ak Hunji (meaning white beads) is a leading company providing decorative mouldings, insulating panels and other building materials made of expanded polystyrene (EPS).READ MORE: https://www.ebrd.com/news/2020/ebrd-and-eu-help-turkmenistan-polystyrene-moulder-maintain-growth-.html

UZBEKISTAN

Rehabilitation Here and Now: Pursuing Transitional Justice in Uzbekistan

Steve Swerdlow, a human rights lawyer, by providing a roadmap for transitional justice in Uzbekistan, examines the relevant international and domestic legal framework and summarizes attempts by former political prisoners to pursue their rehabilitation, and in so doing, a larger national conversation about Uzbekistans dark past

Oct 5 More often than democracy-watchers would like to acknowledge, the death of a dictator usually does little to fundamentally change the nature of a political system. Think Syrias Bashar al-Assad in 2000, North Koreas Kim Jong Il in 2011, and Venezuelas Hugo Chvez in 2013. But in certain rare cases, it can lead to concrete improvements in the lives of millions of ordinary people. Some have argued this occurredat least in part and for a timein the case of Josef Stalins death in 1953. It most certainly happened in August 2016 with the death of Islam Karimov, whose ruthless 27-year reign (1989-2016) in Uzbekistan became synonymous with the worst forms of repression, torture, and political imprisonment. READ MORE: https://cabar.asia/en/rehabilitation-here-and-now-pursuing-transitional-justice-in-uzbekistan

AFC CAPITAL: Uzbekistans Golden Cross

In Uzbekistan the key central bank interest rate has crossed the dividend return curve, which often means the market is about to dramatically re-rate

Oct 6 A golden cross is a chart technical analysis term in the investment industry referring to when the short-term moving average of a security crosses over a major long-term moving average, to the upside. Commonly, this is the 50-day moving average crossing above the 100 or 200 day-moving average, indicating bullish momentum and the start of an uptrend from a conservative standpoint as the uptrend would likely already be weeks old at this point.READ MORE: https://intellinews.com/afc-capital-uzbekistan-s-golden-cross-193522/?source=uzbekistan

In Unprecedented Lawsuits, Former Uzbek Political Prisoners Seek Compensation From Tashkent

Since President Shavkat Mirziyoev came to power in 2016, Uzbekistan has released more than 50 political prisoners

Oct 9 Two former political prisoners in Uzbekistan are demanding financial compensation from the government over unjust convictions and the suffering they endured in the countrys notorious Jaslyk Prison. In the unprecedented civil lawsuits filed by two residents of Qashqadaryo Province, Chuyan Mamatkulov is demanding about $50,000 and Elyor Tursunov is seeking $20,000 in damages.READ MORE: https://www.rferl.org/a/in-unprecedented-lawsuits-former-uzbek-political-prisoners-seek-compensation-from-tashkent/30884276.html

AFGHANISTAN

As Kabul Backs Azerbaijan In Conflict With Armenia, Afghans Recall Fighting In Previous War

While far from being materially involved in the current war over Nagorno-Karabakh, Kabul still supports Baku's position, which sees Yerevan as occupying its territory a position also recognized internationally

Oct 7 Mohammad Younas is nostalgic about his time fighting with Azerbaijani forces in the war against Armenians for the Nagorno-Karabakh territory in the early 1990s. "If possible, I would again join the Muslims of Azerbaijan to defend them against non-Muslims," he said, alluding to the predominantly Muslim country in its battle with Armenian forces, who are mainly Orthodox Christians. The conflict between the South Caucasian neighbors has never been considered a religious one. READ MORE: https://www.rferl.org/a/as-kabul-backs-azerbaijan-in-conflict-with-armenia-afghans-recall-fighting-in-previous-war/30880802.html

Afghanistans Economy and Access to Aid at Stake in Peace Talks

Will the Taliban and the Afghan government come to terms in time to rescue the countrys fledgling economy?

Oct 8 The 2020 Afghanistan Conference, to be hosted jointly by Finland, the United Nations and the government of Afghanistan, is scheduled to taken place in Geneva on November 23 and 24. This ministerial conference will decide how much financial assistance Afghanistan will need from 2021 to 2024 in order to help move it toward peace, prosperity and self-reliance. Four years ago, in October 2016, at the Brussels Conference on Afghanistan, the United States and other international donors committed to provide Afghanistan $15.2 billion in civilian assistance through 2020, according to a U.S. Department of State Fact Sheet. READ MORE: https://thediplomat.com/2020/10/afghanistans-economy-and-access-to-aid-at-stake-in-peace-talks/

A New Generation Fights for Afghanistan

Ahmad Massoud, 31, commands anti-Taliban fighters 19 years after his legendary fathers assassination

Oct 9 The explosion occurred a few hours earlier. A suicide car bomber double-parked on a shopping street. When the convoy passed carrying Vice President Amrullah Saleh, known for his anti-Taliban militancy, the driver pulled up alongside Mr. Salehs armored car. Ten people were killed and 15 wounded. The vice president survived with burns to his hands and face. Thank you, Taliban. A fine affirmation of the commitment you made in advance of the peace talks that will begin in Doha, Qatar, the day after the Kabul bombing, to cease what you have the temerity to call the fighting. READ MORE: https://www.wsj.com/articles/a-new-generation-fights-for-afghanistan-11602265383

WORLD

China business briefing: Mooove over, Australia

Kazakhstans food producers look primed to benefit from Chinas increasingly tense relationship with traditional trading partners. This and more in Eurasianet's monthly Chinese business briefing

Oct 7 Economic historians are going to look back at the era of coronavirus and see more of a rollercoaster than a nosedive. While Kazakhstans economy suffers with the rest of the worlds, the countrys exports to China grew significantly in August, according to the latest data from Beijing. Compared to last August, Kazakh shippers sent off more chemicals (up threefold to $151 million), tobacco (almost 15 times more to $2 million), cotton (doubled to $1.8 million) and a bumper crop of diverse victuals worth $24 million. Overall, Chinese-bound exports grew 20 percent year-over-year to $881 million. READ MORE: https://eurasianet.org/china-business-briefing-mooove-over-australia

Indians and Central Asians Are the New Face of the Islamic State

Terrorists from India, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Kyrgyzstan were never at the forefront of global jihad beforenow they are

Oct 8 As white nationalists across the world have gained prominence through racist, Islamophobic and anti-Semitic acts, the worlds focus on terrorism seems to have shifted. Many experts on extremism now focus heavily on the far-right in its many incarnations as an important driver of terrorist threat. But this myopic approach ignores the dynamism that the Islamic State injected into the international jihadist movement, and the long-term repercussions of the networks it built. In particular, the Indian and Central Asian linkages that the group fostered are already having repercussions beyond the region. READ MORE: https://foreignpolicy.com/2020/10/08/isis-indian-kyrgyzstan-tajikistan-uzbekistan-central-asians-are-the-new-face-of-islamic-state/

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Weekly Digest of Central Asia - Times of Central Asia

LAHORE:Jamaat-e-Islami ameer Senator Sirajul Haq ruled out possibility to join hands with opposition alliance, saying the people already tested the parties and had no trust in them.

He said the so-called mainstream political parties supported the every move of the government in past two years and this time too they did not pose any threat to the rulers. The JI leader said though PML-N, PPP and the military rulers had left no stone unturned to damage the institutions for establishing their personal rule in the country, yet PTI broke all previous records of bad governance.

The JI believed there was no difference between major opposition parties and those ruling the country, he said while addressing a press conference on the occasion of joining the JI by a Sialkot-based politician Hafiz Khawar Mirza along with his supporters at Mansoora on Friday.

Siraj said people had fully recognised the agent of status quo and were no more ready to give them any other chance. He said entire politics of JI revolved around the objective of transforming Pakistan into a real Islamic Welfare State. The JI is set to launch a full-fledged campaign against inflation and interest-based economy. A committee has already formed to chalk out plans for public rallies and organise the masses to bring real change in the country, he said. He welcomed Hafiz Khawar and other political workers from Sialkot in the ranks the JI. Meanwhile, JI naib ameer Liaqat Baloch said the interest-based economy, corruption and massive debts were the real hurdle to the countrys development.

Addressing a workers gathering at Mansoora, he said inflation and unemployment made the peoples lives miserable and it became impossible for them to meet their ends in the prevailing circumstances.

LDA DG: Lahore Development Authority (LDA) Director General Ahmed Aziz Tarar has directed that applications for seeking permission for commercial use of properties should be processed on a priority basis and the fee for the purpose be collected without delay. He stated this on Friday while chairing a meeting on resource generation for LDA. The LDA DG directed all the directorates to compile data about extension of building period of plots, issuance of completion certificates of constructed buildings, change in land use of properties, commercialisation fee and various other sources of income in their respective schemes to formulate workable proposals for revenue generation.

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Sirajul Haq rules out joining hands with Opp alliance - The News International

Rising temperatures and several environmental catastrophes over summer have revealed the underlying risks to Moscow's ambitious plans to develop everything from military bases to mines and associated infrastructure in Russia's far-flung eastern and northern regions, including the increasingly strategically important Arctic.

Record temperatures and wildfires in Siberia this summer following Russia's mildest winter yet were accompanied by a series of highly polluting incidents in the High North, including one of the worst oil spills ever seen in the rapidly warming region.

Climatic concerns have by no means dampened Moscow's enthusiasm for exploiting the Arctic, though. "Today, the geopolitical, geostrategic and economic interests of the world's leading powers have collided in the Arctic," Mikhail Popov, a deputy secretary of Russia's Security Council, said Aug. 19.

"The melting of centuries-old Arctic ice, caused by global warming, facilitates access to the rich potential of the Arctic and opens up colossal prospects in the sphere of exploration of mineral resources."

"The Arctic has become 2.7 degrees warmer from 1971 to 2017," Anders Turesson, chair of the Arctic Council's Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme working group, told S&P Global Market Intelligence. "An inevitable consequence is the thawing of permafrost.

"In the northern parts of Russia a considerable [amount] of infrastructure, buildings and other installations are based on the permafrost and risk becoming unstable," said Turesson, who was Sweden's chief climate change negotiator at the United Nations.

"The warming temperatures in the Arctic have furthermore resulted in melting ice. In fact, since 1979 the volume of Arctic ice in September has declined by 75%. This has opened up new summer sea routes and the [possibility of] exploration for natural resources north of Russia. The consequences are considerable and pose multifaceted challenges for the Arctic environment."

In May, PJSC Norilsk Nickel Co. blamed the collapse of an aging Soviet-era fuel tank near its Arctic base on melting permafrost, but a string of subsequent incidents cast doubts over how carefully the company operates in the hostile yet fragile region. A recent unscheduled inspection of the subsidiary responsible for the spill, which turned two local rivers red, by Russia's environmental watchdog uncovered 116 violations and revealed the site's main equipment to be "obsolete" and "worn out."

Despite the region's risks, the effects of climate change will only deepen its strategic significance to Moscow as President Vladimir Putin's government looks to shore up the economy with new resource-extraction projects and press its existing military advantage in the increasingly important antipodes both objectives well served by the Northern Sea Route.

Great power competition

The Arctic provides almost 25% of Russia's GDP, according to a July U.S. Air Force report on Arctic Strategy, which describes the area as "a region of immense geostrategic significance and a key location for global power projection."

While the disappearance of sea ice is opening up the Arctic for shipping and fossil fuel extraction, onshore projects face a variety of risks from rising temperatures and permafrost degradation. The main issues are the stability of infrastructure foundations, extreme weather, and accessibility, since many remote projects rely on ice roads and river transport.

Infrastructure built in the Soviet-era and before 2000 is particularly vulnerable since their raft foundations are no longer stable, according to David Pearce, the managing director of SRK Consulting's Moscow office. Rising temperatures will have a more extreme impact on permafrost and ice roads than previously seen, and even greater snowfall poses problems as it is difficult to remove from open pits, according to Pearce.

The reliance of Russian reporting systems on compliance with standards that tend to be based around averages and static situations rather than possible peaks also creates a systemic risk, he added.

Commodity exposure

Most of Russia's major commodity producers are exposed to the risks of permafrost degradation with 60% of the country's vast landmass permanently frozen, according to a July Morgan Stanley report. With temperatures in these areas rising at three to four times the global average, Norilsk and state-owned diamond monopoly PJSC Alrosa face the greatest risks in the mining sector, along with Russia's two largest natural gas producers, government-controlled Public Joint Stock Co. Gazprom and PAO NOVATEK.

Nevertheless, improving navigability of Russia's northern coast is making the development of mining projects on and near its shore increasingly tempting as Moscow looks to raise mineral exports to Asia in particular. This mainly serves coal deposits and logistics at the moment, but there are other projects on the horizon. The mining division of Russia's state-owned atomic energy corporation is developing a lead-zinc deposit, Pavlovskoye, on the Arctic archipelago of Novaya Zemlya, and one of the world's largest uranium projects, Elkon, in the country's Far East.

Russia's two largest gold mining groups, PJSC Polyus and Polymetal International PLC, also face rising exposure to environmental risks as they develop new projects such as Sukhoi Log and Nezhda in permafrost areas. The same is true of two of steelmaker PAO Severstal's operating coal and iron ore mines in the Komi Republic and Murmansk Oblast.

"The necessity to develop the Far East and the Arctic (including the Arctic shelf), which are rich in oil, gas and metals, is a direct consequence of the fact that the Russian economy is not very well diversified and still largely resource-based," Vasily Astrov, an economist at the Vienna Institute for International Economic Studies, told Market Intelligence via email.

"Oil, gas and metals account (together with cereals) for the bulk of Russian exports, whereas production of goods with higher value-added is still largely a problem (with some well-known exceptions, such as weapons).

"But it is also a reflection of the fact that, at least in the case of oil and gas, traditional deposits, which are located in relatively more 'hospitable' areas (notably in western Siberia) and have relied to a large extent on investments undertaken in Soviet times, are by now largely depleted hence the necessity to shift production eastwards and to the north. This excessive reliance on commodities is a 'structural' impediment for long-term economic prospects."

Energy transition

Russia's mineral wealth is nevertheless aligned with growing demand for a range of minerals necessary to changing technological needs, from battery metals to rare earth elements of which the Arctic holds around US$1 trillion worth, according to the U.S. Air Force report. The sustainability of their extraction is coming under greater scrutiny, though. In early August, an association of indigenous peoples in Russia implored Tesla Inc.'s founder, Elon Musk, to boycott Norilsk's metals until the Arctic mining group compensated them for contaminating their ancestral lands.

"The various accidents Norilsk have had over the summer going back to the massive oil spill in May highlight the increasing fragility of operating in the Arctic caused by climate change," Richard Shirreff, managing partner of Strategia Worldwide, told Market Intelligence.

"At a time of increased focus on effective [environmental, social and governance] risk management by investors, Russia's push to develop the far north and east (particularly for mining), risks running into similar challenges," said Shirreff, who previously served as NATO's Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Europe.

"The thawing of permafrost is already seen as a tipping point for the climate, as it creates a potential vicious circle," Oskar Njaa, the Bellona Foundation's general manager for international affairs, told Market Intelligence.

"The more [greenhouse] gases are released into the atmosphere, the warmer the Arctic gets, leading to more permafrost melting and more gases releasing.

"It is very hard to predict how this will affect current and future infrastructure in the Arctic."

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Rising temperatures leave Russia's Arctic ambitions on thin ice - S&P Global