Among the delegations from 125 countries, there were mines ministers in attendance from 20 countries around the world, and, for the first time, the conference had a "country sponsor," which happened to be Peru. (Canadian investment in Peru's extractive sector is reported to be roughly $8 billion.) Recognizing the importance of the event, Prime Minister Harper paid a surprise visit on Tuesday morning.
Mexico was well represented by the Economy Minister, Ildefonso Guajardo Villarreal, who also addressed delegates on Tuesday as part of "Mexico Mining Day" at the mining conference. Mr. Guajardo underlined the competitiveness of the Mexican mining industry and attributed its success not only to the tax regime, but also to the country's political stability, its developed legal system and Mexico's positive economic performance of late.