In a formal policy directive dated mid-August, Suriname President Jennifer Simons has implemented an immediate temporary freeze on the issuance of new mining concessions, alongside a ban on the extension or transfer of existing concessions across the country’s mining sector. This administrative action does not suspend ongoing legal mining operations or revoke currently held concessions, but it puts a halt to any expansion or change in the country’s existing concession structure while the government completes a comprehensive sector-wide review.
Simons has formally instructed Minister of Natural Resources David Abiamofo to compile a full, detailed public inventory of all active mining concessions and their current holders, to bring long-needed transparency to the opaque sector. The president outlined five key policy drivers that motivated the temporary freeze in her written directive to the minister.
First, the government has already launched a formal process to protect the ancestral residential and livelihood lands of Suriname’s Indigenous and tribal communities, which have repeatedly been threatened by unregulated mining expansion. Second, the administration is advancing new protections for ecologically critical forested areas across the country that are not currently formally protected. Third, the government is conducting a complete mapping and inventory of all existing mining concession areas, particularly those dedicated to small and large-scale gold mining, which currently lacks centralized public tracking. This process will give policymakers clear insight into the current state of the sector after decades of unregulated growth.
Fourth, the government has prioritized addressing the widespread environmental and public health harms caused by unregulated chemical use in artisanal and industrial gold mining, particularly mercury pollution that contaminates river systems and food supplies across large swathes of the country. Officials are developing a new regulatory framework to strengthen monitoring of chemical use and the environmental impacts of common gold extraction techniques. Fifth, the administration plans to open formal consultations with current concession holders to develop a transition program toward more environmentally responsible mining methods that reduce harm to local communities and ecosystems.
The dual-track policy freezes any changes to the current concession landscape while the government completes its inventory and regulatory planning, preventing new development that could undermine ongoing conservation and land protection efforts. The move responds to longstanding unresolved concerns about unregulated mining expansion across Suriname, which has disproportionately displaced Indigenous communities, destroyed critical tropical rainforest, and left widespread toxic pollution that has harmed public health for decades.
Notably, Simons’ directive does not specify how long the temporary freeze will remain in place, nor does it outline what policy changes will be implemented for existing concessions after the inventory and review process is complete. The president’s statement only confirms that the temporary pause will remain in effect until the government achieves greater sector transparency, implements targeted land and environmental protections, and strengthens regulatory oversight of mining operations nationwide.