Partnerships of hope through the lenses of planetGOLD Guyana

Gold is beautiful and a prized possession. Its timeless appeal is the subject of countless discussions, across a spectrum of interest groups. Its role as a generator of wealth and unfortunately sometimes, a creator of poverty, forms part of the narrative. Seeing its beauty and experiencing its wealth is the result of a process shaped by many factors, including capital, technology and, not least among them, human resources. Innate to this last factor is the instinct to work in partnership - whether legally or loosely defined as in the term “working in partnership”.  This is the heart of this blog – influenced by various voices and many perspectives. Some of explanation, commendation and excitement, others of requests and hope, all related to the role of working in partnership in informing and influencing the development and “journey” of the project A Global Environment Facility (GEF) GOLD/Supply Chain approach to eliminating mercury in Guyana’s Artisanal and Small-Scale Gold Mining (ASGM) sector, Eldorado Gold Jewelry – Made in Guyana, referred to as planetGOLD, Guyana.

planetGOLD, Guyana is part of the global planetGOLD Programme which has its genesis in the 2013  Minamata Convention on Mercury to address global mercury pollution.  The Program seeks to map the path to achieve the goal of the Convention and provides a good example of working in partnership.  In this light, these partnership arrangements are briefly explored through the lenses of the project.

But first, a bit of context.           

The planetGOLD, Guyana context.

• Guyana’s ASGM sector has been in existence for more than 100 years and enjoys legal status through Guyana’s Mining Act (1989). It is a  primary source of direct employment and revenue for more than 15,000 people in Guyana’s hinterland, many from indigenous communities, and accounted for 70 per cent of gold production in 2018, which continued to underscore its economic importance. Unfortunately, the sector’s mining practices negatively impact the environment, particularly through deforestation and mercury contamination. Ninety-four per cent of mercury emissions are from mining, and ASGM primarily uses mercury.

• The Minamata Convention on Mercury is a multilateral environmental treaty. Its overarching objective is, “to protect the human health and the environment from anthropogenic emissions and releases of mercury and mercury compounds”. Its range of measures relates to the control of the supply and trade of mercury, including limitations on specific sources.  It requires that ASGM reduce and where feasible, eliminate the use and release of mercury in their processes. Formalisation, including through improved transparency and accountability, in gold supply chains has been identified as the pathway to ensure that the often-informal sector is not pushed underground.

• Guyana is a party to the 2013 Minamata Convention, which it signed and ratified on 24 September 2014. It is one of nine countries in the first phase of implementation of the global programme, led by  GEF. GEF works with governments, the private sector and the  ASGM communities to ultimately, significantly improve the production practices and work environment of artisanal and small-scale miners.

• PlanetGOLD, Guyana seeks “to assist [this country] to convert to mercury-free mining by 2025.” Its strategy for doing so is to directly involve business enterprises with a profit motive to lead the shift in the development of a mercury-free ASGM supply chain and downstream Eldorado Gold Jewellery. It is anticipated that this will be achieved through:

1. 1. Appropriate mercury-free technologies mainstreamed in Guyana’s ASGM sector.
   2. Mechanisms for financing capital investments for new technologies established and functional.
   3. Markets established for branded mercury-free gold from Guyana.
   4. Establishment of National policies and incentives for mercury-free gold.
   5. Monitoring and evaluation.
   6. Communication and knowledge management.

• Conservation International (CI), is the implementing agency, with CI- Guyana as its executing partner. The latter is supported by co-executing partners: Guyana Gold and Diamond Miners Association (GGDMA) and the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC)  through public-private partnerships. There is also a range of collaboration and partnerships at the international, national, community and individual levels.

PlanetGOLD,  Guyana  is about partnership.

Given its nature, the very project proposal was developed through multi-stakeholder engagement and partnership. Public/private partnerships are its essence. An example of this is the GGDMA and GGMC partnership which focuses on testing mercury-free exploration and extraction technologies, and provides miners with opportunities to observe the operation of the technologies and practices. Then there is the Grant Agreement with United States-based Duke and Mercer universities, through which ways to reduce the release of toxic chemicals in ASGM and making work “in this sector safer, among other pursuits, was explored.

And many are the partnerships/collaborations/relationships, whether formal or informal, that have been established through, protocols and practices. To this end, these relationships are guided by a Stakeholder Engagement Plan, an Indigenous People’s Plan, a Gender-Mainstreaming Plan and Accountability and Grievances Mechanism. (link to print ad and  to radio) which set out the approaches to be followed.

Why partner?

There are always benefits to be derived from partnerships; weaknesses and challenges have the potential to become strengths and opportunities. Resources, such as finance, knowledge, expertise, equipment and accessories, could be leveraged to extend the reach and impact of any single endeavour.  In a conversation with Rene Edwards, Technical Director, CI-Guyana, he shared that “work done through PlanetGOLD and other projects allowed for the achievement of common goals, objectives and activities”.  He cited the historically tense relationship between the mining association and the indigenous community and the fact that through “structured and facilitated dialogue”, these bodies were able to sit at the same table, and work towards the goal of responsible mining.

Continuing in this vein, the Technical Director explained that planetGOLD, Guyana is being implemented under different partnership arrangements. “We had formal Agreements with the GGDMA and the GGMC and we have supported and worked with the Ministry of Natural Resources, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), as well as with the National Toshao Council (NTC) (through, the Indigenous people and responsible mining project), which has benefitted the planetGOLD project, to cite some examples”.  

It could be deemed impossible to see planetGOLD, Guyana outside of the remit of responsible mining, and in this context the need for and importance of partnerships.  Mr. Edwards explained that the responsible mining initiative