As part of its review and revision processes, IRMA has been convening Expert Working Groups (EWG) on a series of topics that have been identified by the IRMA Secretariat and Board of Directors as requiring multi-stakeholder discussion to guide discussions about, reviews and revisions of IRMA Standards.
IRMA EWG members are expected to review the relevant chapters or sections of the IRMA Standards in scope, including Guidance materials, and review the various discussion questions being posed as part of meeting preparation (group or individual) or written requests (e.g. surveys, individual or group email exchanges).
It is important to note that the EWG have been created to catalyze suggestions for solutions on issues that most needed attention. They have not been tasked to come to consensus, nor make formal recommendations. The EWG have not endorsed, nor have they been requested to endorse, Draft or Final versions of any standard. EWG operate under specific Terms of Reference and Participation Agreements.
Information about Current and Past EWG, their role, and their composition are available below:
IRMA Standard
2025
Building on the positive experience of Expert Working Groups, IRMA welcomes the contribution of individual experts as follows:
Expert Advisors
Pools of Expert Advisors will be created for the year 2025, seeking their individual perspective and suggestions on the following topics:
— Conflict-Affected and High-Risk Area Due Diligence
— Upstream and Downstream Sustainability Due Diligence
— Indigenous Peoples and Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC)
— Climate Action
— Applicability of the Standard to Mineral Exploration and Development
— Applicability of the Standard to Mineral Processing Projects and Operations
The Terms of Reference applicable to these Expert Advisors, including instructions on how to apply, are available at (click on this link): ToR for Expert Advisors 2025.
Expert Working Group
Additionally, and acknowledging that several issues and challenges related to the management of tailings storage and mine waste facilities could not be resolved during the development of this 2nd DRAFT, IRMA proposes to discuss and explore potential approaches within an IRMA Expert Working Group dedicated to Tailings Storage and Mine Waste Facility Management.
The Terms of Reference applicable to this Expert Working Group, including instructions on how to apply, are available at (click on this link): ToR for Expert Working Group 2025.
2023-2024
For the period 2023-2024, EWG to the IRMA Mining Standard operated under the Terms of Reference used in 2022, but with an updated Participant Agreement. Some of the Expert Working Groups that were convened in 2022 have been solicited again, while a new one was created (Mineral Supply Chain). Note that no group calls took place, and members were only asked to provide individual feedback.
The topics covered were:
- Conflict-Affected and High-Risk Areas (CAHRAs)
- Land Acquisition, Displacement, and Resettlement
- Mineral Supply Chain
- Planning and Financing for Mine Closure
- Waste and Materials Management
- Water Management
- Circularity
- Gender Equality and Gender Protections
- Greenhouse Gas Emissions (GHG)
- Indigenous Peoples and FPIC
- Occupational Health and Safety (OHS)
A status update, including information about their role and composition was published in 2025 and is available here.
2022
For the period 2022, EWG to the IRMA Mining Standard operated under the following Terms of Reference and Participant Agreement.
The topics covered were:
- Indigenous Peoples’ Rights and FPIC
- Resettlement
- Conflict Affected and High-Risk Areas (CAHRAs)
- Occupational Health and Safety (OHS)
- Planning and Financing Reclamation and Closure
- Waste and Materials Management
- Water
- Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions, Energy and Climate Change
- Gender Equality and Gender Protections
- Mining and Circularity
A status update, including information about their role and composition was published in 2022 and is available here.
IRMA Chain of Custody Standard
To date, no EWG has been established to inform the review and revision of the IRMA CoC Standard.
