Defining the road ahead: Lessons learned from the National Action Plans on ASGM - Minamata COP3 side event

Development of National Action Plans (NAPs) for artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) is an obligation under Article 7 of the Minamata Convention for each Party that determines that mercury use in ASGM in its territory is “more than insignificant”. Recognizing that the sector is closely linked to complex economic, social and environmental issues, the Convention allows flexible, country-specific solutions through the development of NAP to reduce and where feasible eliminate mercury use in the ASGM sector. To date, 35 countries have embarked on the development of a NAP, amongst which several have been completed or are about to be endorsed and submitted to the Secretariat of the Minamata Convention.

The side event was moderated by UNEP. UNIDO presented the global status and progress made on the NAP development.  Subsequently, Uganda, Ecuador, WHO and the Artisanal Gold Council shared their lessons learned and offered practical advices in developing NAPs. The experiences, lessons learned and advices from the audience, including other countries undertaking NAPs and technical experts, were gathered and shared using an online polling tool, Menti.