Namuun Tsegmid

Mongolia, a vast country characterized by rugged landscapes, a nomadic culture, and an active artisanal and small-scale gold mining sector has not been untouched by the COVID-19 pandemic. With a robust testing system and restrictions in place, Mongolia has been able to curb extensive spread of the virus, which has plateaued at roughly 1,000 cases per day, but that has not left the ASGM sector untouched from economic impacts.

As the planetGOLD Mongolia project works towards formalizing the sector, and reducing the clandestine use of toxic chemicals in ASGM, focus has been placed on strengthening local government’s comprehension of the implications and benefits of the Minamata Convention and thus incentivizing its implementation using the NAP as a guide. To begin this, two training sessions on the ‘Minamata Convention on Mercury and ASGM’ were organized in two provinces.

After many of Mongolia's state-owned timber factories closed in the 1990s, people in the village of Tunkhel looking for new employment moved into informal artisanal and small-scale gold mining. Following a lengthy formalization process, the leader of the local mining organization now hopes that a high-recovery mercury-free processing facility, which the planetGOLD Mongolia project is poised to pilot, will offer opportunities to all local ASGM communities and discourage clandestine use of mercury.