The Intergovernmental Forum on Mining, Minerals, Metals and Sustainable Development (IGF), Carleton University and the Canadian International Resources and Development Institute (CIRDI) co-hosted "Casualty or Catalyst: Gender equality and the future of mining" on June 12, 2019, in Ottawa, Canada, at Carleton University.

The audience of over 70 people included policy-makers, members of civil society and academics. The event focused on six overarching themes: 

• Indigenous approaches to gender equality in mining
• Persistent challenges that constrain gender equality in mining across artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM), small and medium enterprises, and large-scale operations
• Exploring how and why solidarity matters, and how we build spaces for cooperation across all stakeholder groups
• Data transparency
• Lessons learned from emerging and advanced industrial economies to advance gender equality
• Sexual and gender-based violence in the mining sector.