Ministry of Natural Resources

(see: http://www.gov.sr/ministerie-van-nh/)

MONR was established on July 26, 1958, with the purpose to ensure sustainable and efficient management and development of the natural resources potentially present in Suriname.

In order to achieve the objective, the following tasks have been assigned to the Ministry:

  • Development and implementation of a national policy on natural resources and energy;
  • Responsible for inventory, exploration, optimal exploitation and management of: minerals, the natural resource water and the natural resources needed for energy;
  • Water management, where necessary in an interdepartmental context;
  • The drinking water supply;
  • The energy supply;
  • Checking compliance with rules and regulations regarding minerals, water management, generation, transport and distribution of energy.

The vision of the MONR is to pursue the efficient management and sustainable development of the water and energy supply and the development of the mining sector for the welfare and prosperity of our nation. The ministry its mission is as follows: “The sustainable development of a transparent and integrated policy for the management of natural resources, in particular water, minerals and energy, for the benefit of human, economic and environmental capital development of Suriname”.

The available natural resources form an important basis for making a significant contribution to the welfare and prosperity of the Surinamese nation. The policy in this context is therefore based on the principle that all resources present in Suriname are made available to and benefit the entire Surinamese population as much as possible. As a result, the Ministry occupies an important place in the national production by focusing on increasing national income.
To achieve this objective a few departments, such as Energy and Water supply and Mining, were established with specifics tasks.

The mining department consists of:

  • The Geologisch Mijnbouwkundige Dienst (GMD/Geological Mining Department) This department is responsible for stimulating mining in general;
  • The Bauxiet Instituut Suriname (BIS/Bauxite Institute Suriname). BIS has the task to collect, process and analyze data related to the circumstances in and around the bauxite industry at national and international level. This institute is now under review and in transition.