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Mining has historically played a central role in Suriname’s economy.

Mineral exploitation—first of bauxite, then gold—has underpinned the economy since its independence. And yet despite its central role in the economy, progress on updating national mining policies and legislation has been slow to date. 

This report presents an assessment of Suriname’s readiness and capacity to implement the Mining Policy Framework (MPF) of the Intergovernmental Forum on Mining, Minerals, Metals and Sustainable Development (IGF). At the request of the Surinamese government, staff from the IGF Secretariat conducted the assessment between August and November 2016; the process involved an extensive desk-based review of key domestic and international laws and policies, as well as a 5-day field visit to the country, during which the project team met with a broad array of stakeholders from government, civil society, international organizations and the private sector.

Using the IGF’s Mining Policy Framework (MPF) as a guide, this assessment report first presents the national development, mining and legal contexts, and then highlights the key strengths, weaknesses and gaps in Suriname’s mining policies and laws, across all six of the MPF’s thematic areas. The assessment was carried out with the support of the Government of Canada.