The technology, jewelry, financial, and automotive sectors are increasingly at risk of purchasing gold that benefits armed groups responsible for mass atrocities in multiple countries in East and Central Africa. Five main policy issues continue to incentivize the conflict gold trade and disincentivize the responsible artisanal trade, presenting key opportunities for action by governments, companies, and banks.
The 2019/2020 Annual Progress Report published by planetGOLD provides an overview of the progress made since the launch of the planetGOLD programme in early 2019 and includes data from the initiation of each of the national projects through fall 2020. This executive summary provides a snapshot of the key points from the full report, across the programme's 4 key programmatic areas: formalization, access to finance, technical solutions, and access to formal markets.
Recognizing that lasting change requires addressing root economic and social drivers of mercury use, planetGOLD is working to accelerate formalization, increase access to formal finance and open avenues to formal gold markets, creating the enabling conditions for the uptake of more efficient, mercury-free technology. This report provides an overview of the progress made since the launch of the planetGOLD programme in early 2019 and includes data from the initiation of each of the national projects through fall 2020.
The planetGOLD Guyana project is assisting artisanal and small-scale gold mining communities implement mercury-free technologies that also increase yield and profits. This video demonstrates the use of three types of equipment that concentrate gold from alluvial deposits without using mercury - the gold kacha, gold cube, and blue bowl. The devices can be used in combination with each other and with other equipment to create an efficient and mercury-free gold recovery process.
The Quick Start Guide summarizes and provides a visual overview of the key issues and recommendations for incorporating gender dimension into National Action Plans for artisanal and small scale gold mining. The document is based on the detailed guidance presented in UNEP's Guide on Incorporating Gender Dimensions into National Strategy Setting in the Context of Chemicals Management.
This paper reflects critically on the challenges with reducing women’s exposure to mercury at artisanal and small-scale gold mines in sub-Saharan Africa. It draws on findings from ongoing research in Ghana, the location of one of the largest and most dynamic artisanal and small-scale gold mining sectors in the region.
Gavin Hilson,
Steven Van Bockstael,
Titus Sauerwein,
Abigail Hilson,
James McQuilken
English
This article offers preliminary reflections on the potential impact of COVID-19 on artisanal and small-scale mining activities in sub-Saharan Africa. In doing so, it revisits the core ideas put forward in the literature in support of showcasing the sector more prominently in the region’s rural development strategies.
This brief outlines some of the main challenges to ASM sector support and regulation in the context of the global pandemic and points tentatively to how governments can move forward with effective ASM sector management in the coming months.
In December 2020 the planetGOLD Peru project team provided an update on: the resumption of ASGM activities in the country after restrictions were lifted; the price of gold; the incidence of COVID-19 in the country; and project activities in mining areas.
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