First Global Forum on Artisanal and Small Scale Gold Mining

UNEP and its partners in the Global Mercury Partnership convened a global forum on artisanal and small scale gold mining (ASGM) to discuss and formulate pragmatic options for policy and decision makers to consider for the development of the UNEP mercury treaty.

Agenda

• English  
• Français  
• Spanish

Meeting report

Presentations and Documents

Tuesday 7 December 

Morning session

• Introduction to artisanal and small-scale gold mining (Artisanal Gold Council, Canada, Kevin Telmer)
• Update on the global mercury negotiations and description of the Global Mercury Partnership (UNEP chemicals, Brenda Koekkoek)
• An introduction to the approach of the Philippines Government (Philippines' Government, Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Juan Miguel Cuna)   part1 part2 part3

Panel session 1: Mercury use and ASGM

• Introduction to the draft technical guidance document under development (Artisanal Gold Council, Canada, Kevin Telmer)
• Mercury pollution abatement project - zero mercury direct smeelting project (Univesity of Mining and Technology, Ghana, Sulemana Al-Hassan & Jerry S. Kuma)
• Propuesta para la reduccion del uso del merucrio en la mineria artesanal (National Small Scale Miners Association of Peru, SONAMIPE, Manuel Reinoso Rivas)
• Preventing cyanide leaching of mercury amalgamated tailings (Benguet Fed. of Small-Scale Miners, Philippines, Leonicio M. Na-Oy)
• Reducing mercury use throught Mercury Retorts in small scale mining goldmining (WWF Guianas, Rickford Vieira)
• Reducing mercury use throught re-Activation of mercury using electrolysis (Yayasan Tambuhak Sinta (YTS), Indonesia, Sumali Agrawal)
• Reducing mercury use and open burning of mercury in Central Kalimantan using water condensers (Blacksmith institute, Indonesia, Budi Susilorini)

Wednesday 8 December 

Presentation: Trade, gold and the economics of ASGM

• Trade, economics & market of ASM Gold (ARM, France, Patrick Schein) part 1 & part 2

Panel session 2: Legal and regulatory issues

• Reflections on ASM Legalization (ARM, Canada, Laura Barreto)
• La mineria artesanal en el Peru (Institute for social development networks, Peru, Olinda Orozco Zevallos)
• Policy and Regulation in Artisanal Mining Communities (University of Cambridge, United Kingdom, Samuel Spiegel)

Panel session 3: Social issues

• ASM and LSM relationship (Mondlane univeristy, Mozambique, Salvador Mondlane Jr.)
• Health and Environmental Impact of Mercury in Small-Scale Gold Mining in the Philippines
• Social and Health Issues in Artisanal and Small-scale Gold Mining
• Supporting the Disadvantaged Ones in Tanzania Mining Community (TAWOMA, Tanzania, Eunice Negele)

Thursday 9 December 

Panel session 4: Financing the transition away from mercury

• Case Study : ASGM Project in Central Kalimantra (Blacksmith institute, Indonesia, Budi Susilorini)
• Cash Flow Model
• Fuentes de financiamiento en la mineria artesanal (SONAMPIES, Peru, Manuel Reinoso Rivas)
• The sustainable management of mineral resources project (Tanzanian Government, Getty P. Massawe)
• Presentation form - General secretary of the Mwanza region miners association (Mwanza region miners association, Tanzania, Golden N. Hainga)

Negotiation of a global legally binding instrument on mercury

• Global Mercury Instrument: Description and update on progress and process (UNEP chemicals, David Piper & Glenn Wiser)

Other supplemental information

- Draft on Trade gold and Economics of ASGM

- from INC1 Technical Briefing Presentation: Working Together – Large and Small Scale Miners (International Council on Mining & Metals (ICMM), Benjamin Davies)

- from the ASGM Briefing called "Addressing the Social and Financial Challenges of Artisanal and Small Scale Gold Mining", Meeting Summary, Geneva, 23rd September 2010

- from the presentations shown during the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development meeting in New York, May 2010.

Pictures

Credits: Ban Toxics! (rgutierrez@bantoxics.org)