Once again this year, SDSG is proud to welcome interns in its ranks to contribute to our work. Find out more about Syndey, Yudha, Hunter and Faizatu's areas of expertise, and apply here.

We are also delighted to welcome Dr. Shonali Banerjee as our new Secretary of the Board. Shonali is an Assistant Professor of International Development in the Department of Politics and International Studies, University of Warwick (UK). She is also a Visiting Research Fellow at the Judge Business School, University of Cambridge, and a guest lecturer at University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa.



SDSG colleagues have been organizing events, pursuing further learning, and shaping policy debates at key forums. Here are some highlights of recent activities:

• Luke Danielson, Brendan Schwartz, Kristi Disney Bruckner and K.K Duvivier attended the Foundation for Natural Resources Energy Law’s Critical Minerals conference. Kristi spoke on a panel about the importance of upholding Indigenous voices in multistakeholder initiatives like the Initiative for Responsible Mining Assurance (IRMA).

• In collaboration with the Western Alliance of Reclamation Management (WARM), SDSG President Luke Danielson led a weeklong field course for students and mining professionals to learn about the legacy of abandoned and un-reclaimed uranium mines on Indigenous lands in Navajo country in the Four Corners region of the U.S.

• SDSG Executive Director Brendan Schwartz co-convened a seminar at the University of Edinburgh with Dr. Thabani Mutambasere on Contemporary Inequalities in the Global South with a focus on the political economy of natural critical minerals. Brendan also guest lectured at Dr. Derrick Hudson’s course at the Colorado School or Mines on the political economy of artisanal cobalt mining in the DRC; and was a panelist at the school’s Futures Event on Critical Minerals and Mining policy.

• SDSG Legal Intern Maria Guillamont attended New York Climate Week to educate youth about the emergence of deep-sea mining and its risks.

• SDSG Carbon Research Fellow Bennett Jarvis attended IETA’s North America Climate Summit and side events at New York Climate Week to interview industry players in the nature-based carbon market.

• Brendan represented SDSG at the Intergovernmental Forum on Mining (IGF)'s Annual conference at the United Nations Office in Geneva. One of the most insightful panels highlighted a new guidebook on Legal Tools for Gender Equality in Critical Minerals Governance.