The XXIX Ordinary General Assembly of ASGMI was held in Pachuca de Soto (Mexico) from April 8th to April 12th, 2024, with the motto “The Role of Geological Surveys in the Energy and Ecological Transition“, which concluded with the creation of the document called Declaration of Huasca de Ocampo.
The event was attended by directors and authorities of the Geological Surveys or related institutions members of ASGMI from the countries of Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Peru, Spain, Uruguay and the Dominican Republic. The United States of America Geological Survey (USGS) and other international guests from the Geological Survey of Canada participated in the event as special guests, by virtue of their Memorandum of Understanding with ASGMI.
During the event, there was a presentation of the Map of Critical Minerals of Latin America of the continental and marine part and subsequent round tables in which the importance and challenges faced by Geological Surveys in the energy and ecological transition were discussed.
These talks highlighted how the diversity of available information and data complicates the assessment of the capacity of the institutions to meet the growing demand for mineral resources, affecting not only mineral extraction, but also areas such as hydrogeological resources, biodiversity and the management of geological hazards linked to climate change. Geological Surveys play a crucial role in these challenges, from abandoned mines management to hydrogeological assessment and water resource protection, as well as emerging areas such as CO2 storage and geothermal energy.
Collaboration between Geological Surveys, facilitated by international associations such as ASGMI and Eurogeosurveys, is essential to address these challenges. Some ASGMI Expert Groups are developing products that are useful to respond to these demands of the energy transition, such as the Metallogeny, Mining Environmental Liabilities and Geothermal Groups.
In the conclusions and final comments of the workshop, the drafting of the Declaration of Huasca de Ocampo was proposed. This Declaration is a document in which the geological surveys express, in eight points, their interest in implementing actions in cartography, international cooperation, geoscientific information and research, critical minerals and geothermal energy, geodiversity, geoenvironmental studies and inclusive and gender equity policies, which facilitate decision making for the ecological and energy transition.
The document concludes by calling on the relevant ministerial authorities to support the content of the Declaration.
The complete document can be downloaded at DECLARATION OF HUASCA DE OCAMPO.
In addition, the complete Minutes of the XXIX Ordinary General Assembly of ASGMI can be consulted.
