Chile’s mining industry has been less affected by the country’s ongoing crisis, but sector leaders called for unity to face the challenges ahead.

“We used to be proud of a country that we saw as stable, with solid institutions and high development levels, but now we need urgent measures to face the institutional challenge,” the director of mining providers association Aprimin, Sergio Hernández, said during an event in Santiago.

Hernández urged the industry to create an economic model based on social and environmental subjects. “Our companies are now environmentally conscious, but sustainability also includes economic and social aspects,” he said.

During the event, mining minister Baldo Prokurica also emphasized that the local mining industry must contribute more to improve the economy.

Prokurica has met ambassadors from Canada, the UK and Australia to assure them of Chile’s commitment to foreign investors.