1. Artisanal and Small-Scale Gold Mining Partnership Area Regional Strategic Planning Projects Stockholm, 6 June 2010

2. Why Strategic Planning First goal of ASGM Partnership business plan Engages multiple stakeholders across sectors relevant to ASGM Encourages comprehensive review and sharing of ASGM status information Allows for identification of strategic actions that contribute to common long-term goals, rather than unrelated projects

3. Support government efforts in setting national objectives/ reduction targets for mercury use in ASGM Projects already initiated in three regions –Two “regional strategic plan” projects funded by SAICM QSP South-East Asia (focused on Cambodia and the Philippines) South America (focused on Peru and Bolivia) –Francophone West Africa regional mercury project, led by the US and UNIDO, with funds from Government of Finland Future: Anglophone West Africa regional mercury project financed by the USEPA

4. Baseline Data Gathering Constitution of the ASGM Working Group and the National Steering Committee Consultation with Stakeholders and Preparation of Preliminary Draft Revision/fine-tuning of Draft Plan Submission of the Draft Plan to sponsoring agency Plan Finalization and Endorsement Formalize Agreements for Plan Implementation Graphic courtesy of BanToxics

5. Francophone Western Africa Inception workshop organized in Bamako, Mali in December 2009 6 countries: Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea, Mali, Niger and Senegal 32 participants from Ministries of Environment, Ministries of Mines, NGOs and artisanal miners (from Mali) Field visit to demonstrate the use of mercury and mining conditions

6. Francophone Western Africa Women panning with children, Mali Basic sluicing, Mali Open retorting, Mali

7. Francophone Western Africa Meeting Results Discussed condition of the ASGM sector in each country Presented technical solutions (extraction, processing, refining) as well as formalisation best practices and opportunities under the Fair Trade scheme Participants found that problems are similar for the whole region; recognized advantages of regional approach to complement national strategies

8. South East Asia Focused on Philippines and Cambodia Inception workshop organized in Manila, Philippines, in January 2010 Participants included national government agencies, national academic and financial institutions, NGOs, international funding institutions and the large-scale mining Multi-sectoral approach crucial to successful outcome

9. Philippines Direct discharge of mercury laden mine tailings in Naboc River Compostella Valley Mt. Diwalwal Gold Rush Area Mt. Diwata, Monkayo, Compostella Valley PHILIPPINES Open burning of amalgam without any protective equipment All Photos courtesy BanToxics!

10. Cambodia Photos: Mr. Ben Bunnarin

11. South Asia Meeting Results Both countries have flourishing ASGM industries due to surge in the price of gold and the discovery of new gold rush areas. ASGM contributes to poverty alleviation, especially in rural areas Different situations and scales require different approaches –ASGM widespread in Philippines –ASGM generally supplemental to agricultural activities in Cambodia

12. 80ASGM currently produces nearly 80 percent of Philippine’s total gold production Through Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) gold buying program; ASGM a major contributor to gold reserves

13. Common Concerns with ASGM Environmental –E.g., contamination, soil erosion, deforestation Social –migration, land tenure, social benefits, labor issues Legal –weak enforcement, complicated licensing system (PH), encroachment on protected areas

14. Francophone West Africa and South East Asia Follow Up Countries are now working on national plans Francophone West Africa: drafts to be completed by Autumn 2010 validation of action plans by end of 2010 SE Asia: drafts to be completed by Autumn 2010 3 Day Results Workshop end of 2010 in Cambodia to strengthen individual National Plans and enhance regional collaboration

15. Role of the Partnership Support implementation of the projects (planning, expert support) Encourage collaboration and communication among regional efforts Facilitate identification of funding to implement priority actions in the plans, including strategy to integrate them in a regional action

16. South America Modelled on Asia Regional Project Creation of National Strategies Enhanced regional cooperation Currently includes Peru and Bolivia; could add Colombia and Ecuador later Inception workshop to be scheduled

17. Anglophone Africa In early planning stages Likely to be held in Nigeria late 2010

18. UNEP Global Mercury Partnership ASGM Area For information, contact the area leads: Susan Keane, NRDC, skeane@nrdc.orgskeane@nrdc.org Ludovic Bernaudat, L.Bernaudat@unido.orgL.Bernaudat@unido.org Or visit the UNEP website: http://www.chem.unep.ch/MERCURY/Sector-Specific- Information/Artisanal-small-scale-mining.htm http://www.chem.unep.ch/MERCURY/Sector-Specific- Information/Artisanal-small-scale-mining.htm