Member of the Board of Directors at the Alliance for Responsible Mining
Maria Laura Barreto is co-director of the Material Efficiency Research Group – MERG, an Ottawa-based consulting firm established in 2003. Ms. Barreto has over 30 years of experience with the extractive industry in the area of public and private policy assessment and reform, institutional analysis and capacity building, environmental and social impact assessment of mineral projects, evaluation of mineral production chains, process formalization and legalization of Artisanal and Small Scale Mining (ASM), including facilitating partnerships between Industrial Mining and MAPE. In this context, Ms. Barreto has been working with governments, development agencies, non-governmental organizations, the private sector, and academia in Africa, Latin America, North America, and Asia.
Since 2007, Ms. Barreto has been a member of the Alliance for Responsible Mining (ARM) Board of Directors – a nonprofit organization that is leading internationally recognized pioneering projects focused on ASM.
Ms. Barreto has a degree in Law, a master’s degree in Law in the area of concentration in International Relations and a doctorate in Mining Engineering in the area of concentration in Mineral Economy.
Working with Industrial Mining and ASM, engaging governments, civil society and business, and the ability to cross disciplines from mining engineering to mineral and environmental law gives Ms. Barreto depth and breadth in understanding opportunities and issues and identifying realistic solutions for the extractive sector.
