Abigail Ocate

Abigail Ocate provides insightful reflections on the Minamata Convention on Mercury's fifth Conference of the Parties (COP-5).

The outbreak of COVID-19 has disrupted the artisanal gold supply chain and broken the cash for gold income system that rural miners depend on in ASGM communities around the world, including in the Philippines. Despite stay at home orders, many small-scale miners are continuing to produce gold, but they are severely constrained by a lack of access to markets, buyers, processing supplies, and a limited workforce. Read more in this update from our team working on the planetGOLD Philippines project.