The first roundtable discussion between the Autonomous Bougainville Government (ABG), Bougainville Copper Limited (BCL), and Rio Tinto was held on March 6, in Port Moresby, marking the beginning of a concerted effort to address the environmental and socio-economic impacts stemming from the Panguna mine's operations.

The meeting is a key step following the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) in November 2024 between the three parties, which set up the roundtable framework to address the findings of the Panguna mine legacy impact assessment (PMLIA) report. 

The PMLIA report, released in December 2024, has highlighted the need for urgent action to remedy both the ongoing and potential future impacts of the mine's legacy.

The roundtable aims to develop a process for mitigating these impacts, ensuring that solutions are not only effective but aligned with global human rights standards.

At the meeting last week, the parties discussed the next steps for addressing the report's findings, including agreeing on the scope of additional investigations to assess critical impacts further. This process will be submitted for formal consultation and endorsement by the PMLIA oversight committee, which includes diverse stakeholders such as local communities, the government of Papua New Guinea, the ABG, BCL, Rio Tinto, and the Human Rights Law Centre.

Addressing another pressing issue raised by the PMLIA, the roundtable also discussed the state of ageing infrastructure and other priority challenges in the region.

The ABG has launched an education and awareness programme aimed at informing local communities and small-scale miners about potential geo-technical risks linked to the area's past mining activities.

Panguna, which was operated by Rio subsidiary Bougainville Copper, was once one of the world’s largest copper mines. It was shut in 1989 after local protests over the disbursement of revenue from the mine degenerated into a civil war that killed as many as 20 000 people. The project has remained abandoned and Rio has struggled to obtain access to the site for remedial purposes.