Mining Security Working Group

What Mining Security Working Group does

Mining Security Working Group (MSWG) is a closed, membership-based professional forum established in 2015 in Calgary, Canada, dedicated to security practitioners and subject matter experts in the extractive (mining) industry. The group operates under the Chatham House Rule and convenes a vetted network of individual security professionals — sponsored in by existing members, bound by non-disclosure agreements, and prohibited from externally sharing materials without member approval — to exchange experiences, threat intelligence, loss learnings, and best practices. Its members also include post-secondary security students and invited vendors, but the core constituency is enterprise-level security leadership within mining operators.

The group's primary deliverables are guidance documents rather than commercial products. Its flagship artifacts are the MSWG SMP VPSHR White Paper V.1 — a Security Management Plan framework supporting implementation of the Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights — and the MSWG Use of Force Guidelines covering private security conduct in mining operations. Both documents are distributed as free downloadable PDFs in English, French, Spanish, and Portuguese, which extends the forum's practical reach into Lusophone and Francophone extractive markets. The organization is formally aligned with the Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights Initiative, the UN Declaration of Human Rights, the Government of Canada, and the Mining Association of Canada.

MSWG does not operate a commercial revenue model. There are no disclosed dues, sponsorships, or pricing tiers; access is membership-based and confidential, with individual (not corporate) membership required. The organization runs on a 1–10 person operating footprint, has no disclosed parent, no funding rounds, and no subsidiaries. Its strategic value lies in its role as a standards-aligned convener and trusted information clearinghouse for a narrow vertical — not in technology commercialization, and the source data explicitly identifies MSWG as a knowledge-sharing organization rather than a technology company.

Name

Mining Security Working Group

Legal name

Mining Security Working Group

Website

https://mswg.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Mining Security Working Group is a Calgary-based, closed-membership professional forum founded in 2015 that convenes vetted security practitioners in the extractive industry under the Chatham House Rule. It produces guidance documents — including Security Management Plan and Use of Force frameworks aligned with the Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights — distributed in four languages.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Mining Security Industry Forum Services

NAICS

Investigation and Security Services (5616)

SIC

Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700), Services-Management Services (8741)

akta.pro primary industry

Managed Security Services (MSSP) & 24/7 SOC Operations (BPAKAHAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

White-Collar Defense & Investigations (BPAHAAAJ)

Keywords

• Mining security guidance
• Extractive industry security
• Security management plans
• Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights
• Use of force guidelines

Headquarters

HQ city

Calgary

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

MSWG is a closed professional working group that develops and publishes guidance documents for security management in the extractive (mining) industry. Its core offerings are the SMP VPSHR White Paper V.1 and the Use of Force Guidelines, available in English, French, Spanish, and Portuguese, which support mining companies in implementing the Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights. The group also functions as a confidential Chatham House Rule networking forum for mining security practitioners.

Product overview

The Mining Security Working Group is a forum (not a product company) that develops and publishes guidance documents for security management in the extractive industry. Its primary offerings are the MSWG SMP VPSHR White Paper V.1 (a comprehensive Security Management Plan guidance document supporting Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights implementation) and the MSWG Use of Force Guidelines. These documents are available in multiple languages (English, French, Spanish, Portuguese) as free downloadable PDFs for industry practitioners.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• MSWG SMP VPSHR Guidance Document (White Paper V.1)

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Government of CanadacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMSWG supports initiatives of the Government of Canada in promoting respect for human rights within the extractive industry. The group collaborates with government bodies on security and human rights frameworks.
• Mining Association of CanadacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMSWG works in partnership with the Mining Association of Canada to promote respect for human rights and support industry-wide security best practices.
• Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights InitiativecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMSWG was established to further the goals of the Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights initiative. The Voluntary Principles are the only human rights guidelines designed specifically for extractive sector companies.
• United Nations (UN Declaration of Human Rights)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMSWG is aligned with the UN Declaration of Human Rights and incorporates its principles into mining security practices.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI): Global standard for transparency and accountability in extractives, including governance and human rights components. Comparable as a multi-stakeholder governance initiative addressing overlapping concerns with MSWG in extractive-sector operating environments.
• Overseas Security Advisory Council (OSAC): U.S. State Department-sponsored public-private partnership sharing security information with U.S. organizations operating abroad, including mining and energy firms. Comparable as a security intelligence and best-practice forum serving extractive-sector multinationals.
• International Council on Mining and Metals (ICMM): Global industry association representing leading mining and metals companies on sustainable development, including human rights and security. Directly comparable as a mining-sector body advancing overlapping frameworks with MSWG, but with vastly broader scope and resources.

Direct peers

• International Code of Conduct Association (ICoCA): Multi-stakeholder initiative governing private security providers, including those serving extractive sites. Comparable as a forum setting standards for security providers and human rights in high-risk environments, overlapping with MSWG's Use of Force and security management focus.
• Mining Association of Canada (MAC): National industry association that already partners with MSWG and promotes the Towards Sustainable Mining (TSM) initiative, which includes human rights and security protocols. Directly comparable as a mining-focused body producing overlapping security and human rights guidance.
• International Association of Professional Security Consultants (IAPSC): Professional membership association for security consultants, including those serving extractive clients. Comparable as a vetted, membership-based professional security body that produces guidance and networking for practitioners.
• Security Risk Management Association (SRMA): Professional association advancing security risk management standards and practitioner development. Comparable as a practitioner-focused membership body producing guidance and networking for security professionals in complex operating environments.
• Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights Initiative: Multi-stakeholder initiative whose VPSHR framework MSWG explicitly implements. Highly comparable as the canonical forum for extractive-sector security and human rights dialogue, and a sponsor/partner of MSWG.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/mining-security-working-group

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Mining Security Working Group