2026 OECD Conference of Mining Regions and Cities

8:00-8:30 Welcome coffee

8:30-8:45 Welcome remarks

• Joaquín Villarino, President, Chilean Mining Council
• Katherine López, Regional Presidential Delegate of Antofagasta (TBC)
• Francisca Toledo, Minister of the Environment, Chile (TBC)

Pillar 2. Improving the role of the private sector and responsible mining standards in local development

8:45-9:00 Keynote speaker

• Aidan Davy, Co-Chief Operating Officer, ICMM

9:00-10:15 Panel 4: The impact of responsible mining standards on local development

This panel will present the perspectives of different mining companies in Antofagasta on the progress of the regional mining strategy and on the priorities that remain relevant to ensure that mining contributes to local development, while also enabling the region to improve the competitiveness of the economy and mining projects in an increasingly complex global environment.

Moderator: Benjamin Katz, Project Lead, Responsible Business in Minerals, OECD

Panellists:

• Adán Olivares Castro, Regional Lead for the Americas, IRMA
• Hillary Amster, Chief Operating Officer, The Copper Mark
• Sebastián Sahla, Latin America Lead, EITI
• Mercè Ferrés Hernández, Programme Manager, ISO Central Secretariat

Discussant: Iván Arriagada, CEO, Antofagasta Minerals

10:15-10:30 Coffee

10:30-12:00 Panel 5: The role of mining companies in local development

This session will explore the role of responsible mining standards in supporting local development, including how these standards are used in public policies, how local communities understand them, and the opportunities they create for community participation and engagement in mining-related decision-making.

Moderator: Enrique Garcilazo, Head of the Regional and Rural Development Unit, OECD

Opening:  René Muga, Vice President Corporate Affairs Latin America, BHP

Panellists:

• Ben Chalmers, CEO, Mining Association of Canada
• Katharina Jenny, Vice President Corporate Affairs, Antofagasta Minerals, Chile
• Gabriel Méndez, VP Corporate Affairs and Sustainability, Codelco
• Bárbara Blumel, Manager of Community Relations and Public Affairs, Novandino Litio

12:00-13:45 Lunch

13:45-14:20 Conversation: Providers and SMEs in mining regions

This panel shares experiences and strategies to support the development of suppliers and entrepreneurs in mining regions, identifying the factors to improve competitiveness and scale.

Moderator: Fernando Cortez, Association of Industrialists of Antofagasta

Panellists:

• Luis Martins, President, Mining Cluster, Portugal
• María Fernanda Ávila, Chair, Lithium Board, Argentina
• Pamela Garrido, General Manager, Emeser, Chile
• Nadac Reales del Canto, Founder and CEO, Spiromet / Rudanac Biotec, Chile

14:20-16:00 Parallel sessions: Public-private partnerships and community agreements for the development of mining communities 

Parallel 6A: Public-private partnership to improve access to water and health in host communities

This session will discuss examples of agreements and coordination between companies, local governments, and/or communities to improve healthcare and water supply, with a particular focus on sustaining these projects over time and strengthening local capacity for long-term delivery.

Moderator: Dawn Madawee Leach, Canada

Context (selected paper): Felipe Irarrázaval, University of Chile and Miguel Atienza, Catholic University of the North, Chile

Panellists:

• Inés Gutiérrez Spelucín, Sustainable Infrastructure Advisory, World Bank Group Infrastructure
• Carlos Méndez, General Manager, Aguas Antofagasta
• Felipe Gómez, Aris Mining, Canada
• Novandino Litio (TBC)
• Claudia Pacheco, Assistant Manager of Public Affairs and Communities, Antofagasta Minerals, Chile

Parallel 6B: Public-private partnership to improve access to housing and recreation in host communities

This session will examine examples of agreements and coordination between companies, local governments, and/or communities to support housing and recreational infrastructure (parks, sports facilities), with a focus on sustaining these investments over time and strengthening local capacity for long-term delivery.

Moderator: Gabriela Gómez, Executive Secretary, Mining Strategy, Regional Government of Antofagasta

Context (selected paper): Dusan Paredes, Catholic University of the North

Panellists:

• Pablo Pisani, Vice President Corporate Affairs and Communications, BHP
• Juan Schaeffer, Vice President Corporate Affairs and Sustainability, Anglo American
• Jaime Henríquez, Head of Public Affairs, Antofagasta Minerals
• Eliecer Daniel Chamorro, Mayor of Calama
• Aurora Williams, Gerenta, Corporación de Desarrollo Regional (GORE), Antofagasta, Chile.

16:00-16:15 Coffee

16:15-17:00 Takeaways from parallel sessions

Selected speakers and participants discuss main actions and solutions proposed during the parallel sessions.

• Cinthia Navarro, Lead for Economic and Social Justice, Oxfam International

17:20-17:20 Closing Remarks 2026 OECD Conference of Mining Regions and Cities

• Ricardo Díaz, Regional Governor of Antofagasta, Chile
• Enrique Garcilazo, Head of the Regional and Rural Development Unit, OECD
• Heidi Holmgren, Deputy Mayor, Finnmark County, Norway

14:00-18:00 Field trip

• CODELCO – Chuquicamata mine and Northern Operations
  Explore one of the world’s most iconic mining operations of copper and gain insights into CODELCO’s northern operations.
• BHP – Coloso Port and Community Engagement in Antofagasta
  Visit BHP’s Coloso Port facilities and learn about initiatives to strengthen local development in neighbouring communities.
• Antofagasta Minerals – Nueva Centinela mine and Community Development in Sierra Gorda
  Discover the expansion project of  Centinela mine, one of the current largest mining investments in Chile, alongside a visit to the Sierra Gorda Cultural Community Centre.
• NovaAndino – Lithium operation in San Pedro de Atacama
  Visit one of the largest lithium brine operations in the world in San Pedro de Atacama, along with the chemical facilities to explore how lithium process is evolving through automation, gender inclusion and increased participation of women in the workforce.