News & Voices

As Member States and observers gather in Geneva, Switzerland for the 5th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Minamata Convention on Mercury, the planetGOLD programme aims to contribute to the global knowledge base on reducing mercury use in artisanal and small-scale gold mining. Explore the information document the programme has published detailing lessons learned from technology transfer activities in planetGOLD phase 1 projects.

El Programa Nacional de Gestión de Químicos de Ecuador (PNGQ), junto al Ministerio de Ambiente, Agua y Transición Ecológica de ese país (MAATE) y el Programa de Naciones Unidas para el Desarrollo, PNUD, participaron en el II Congreso Internacional de Ciencia y Género, llevado a cabo en la ciudad de Córdoba ( Argentina) los días 2 y 3 de agosto.

Helen Vásquez, Maité Caiza y Mathías Aguirre fueron las dos niñas ganadoras y el niño ganador del cuento de concurso infantil sobre la prevención del uso de mercurio en la minería, realizado en las escuelas de Portovelo (El Oro). Participaron 87 alumnos de 10 a 12 años de varias escuelas públicas de esta ciudad minera, situada al surde Ecuador, y el concurso se enmarcó en la campaña “ValOro tu trabajo”.

La planta de beneficio Sodirec, perteneciente a la empresa Bira Bienes Raíces S.A., recibió este jueves el reconocimiento ambiental “Punto Verde”, otorgado por el Ministerio del Ambiente, Agua y Transición Ecológica (MAATE) de Ecuador, por reducir en cerca de un 40% el consumo de energía eléctrica durante el procesamiento de minerales. Se trata del primer distintivo de estas características adjudicado a una planta de beneficio.

Una delegación del Ministerio de Minas y Energía de Colombia, del Banco de la República de ese país y de PNUD Colombia (Programa de las Naciones Unidas para el Desarrollo) visitó Quito para conocer el mecanismo ecuatoriano de compra del mineral a los mineros artesanales y de pequeña escala, en el marco de la alianza planetGOLD, a la que pertenecen ambos países.

En Perú, Bolivia, Colombia y Ecuador, las mujeres trabajan día a día por una minería de oro artesanal y de pequeña escala más responsable con sus derechos y el cuidado del ambiente

For women mineral selectors in Ecuador known as jancheras, a new gardening initiative allows families to generate additional income and provides a source of food security in times of emergency such as those currently being experienced around the world.

The planetGOLD partner project in Ecuador along with the Ministry of Environment and Water, UNDP, the Ministry of Energy and Non-Renewable Natural Resources, IIGE, and the Central Bank of Ecuador are embarking on a new training workshop to help refresh technical knowledge and focus on developing methodologies and strategies to train more than 300 artisanal miners located in Camilo Ponce Enriquez, Zaruma-Portovelo and Chinapintza in 2021.

Ecuador's Ministry of Environment and Water, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Global Environment Facility (GEF) have provided USD $299,229.50 for the development of six projects to reduce pollution generated by chemical substances, specifically persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and mercury.These actions will benefit 11,873 people in the provinces of Santa Elena, Pichincha, Azuay, El Oro and Zamora Chinchipe.

For years an association of women artisanal miners in Ecuador has dreamed of generating another economic activity by promoting the use of materials extracted in the area through goldsmithing, which they believe can provide a way to represent their culture and, in the future, promote tourism. Their dream will soon be a reality as new funding has been provided to implement a goldsmithing workshop. Read more in this article from our partner project in Ecuador.

As the COVID-19 health emergency has significantly impacted families in Ecuador, especially artisanal miners who depend on this activity to make ends meet, planetGOLD's partner project there has responded to protect these vulnerable communities using a campaign titled Las Reglas de Oro, or "The Golden Rules" - recommendations to protect artisanal & small-scale miners in the context of COVID-19. Using short videos and print material, it aims to provide miners with practical advice for protecting themselves and others against the spread of COVID-19 as containment measures relax and miners return to work.

For many women miners who scavenge for gold among rocks discarded by larger mining operations, the outbreak of COVID-19 has threatened their ability to make ends meet each day. In hard-hit Ecuador, help arrived for these women and their families in the form of food and cleaning supplies financed by voluntary contributions by their fellow citizens.