The United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) is aiming to reduce the usage of mercury in artisanal gold mining (ASGM) in eight countries worldwide, including the Philippines.
The said program will also take place in the countries of Burkina Faso, Colombia, Guyana, Indonesia, Kenya, and Peru. It will be a five-year program with the coordination of the governments of the benefitting countries.
Financing the program is the Global Environmental Facility (GEF GOLD), allotting $ 180 million in total.
UNEP said this program, with the help of the governments, will enable the formalization of the sector, protect miners’ rights, safety, and access to markets.
Also, the program will introduce and facilitate access to mercury-free extraction methods. This, according to UNEP, is vital not just in reducing mercury emissions but also in protecting the health of vulnerable communities.
Acting UN Environment executive director Joyce Msuya said, “Mercury emissions impact health and ecosystems, contaminating the food we eat, the water we drink and the air we breathe. This is a long-term problem we need to confront now. Joint initiatives like GEF GOLD demonstrate that when we unite for environmental action, we can protect community health, provide livelihood to those most in need and save the planet.”
Globally, workers in the artisanal and small-scale mining sectors accounts to as many as 15 million. 4.5 million of this are women while over 600,000 are children. In many countries, these workers are operating with additional measures as ASGM is banned or limited by legislation and licensing procedures.
UNEP said that these miners and processors, majority of which are in developing countries, work in extreme conditions, without the protection of industry regulations on pay, health or safety, to satisfy the global hunger for gold, for jewelry, investment and consumer products.
With this program, GEF GOLD vows to ensure that the gold value chain will support miners while at the same time providing consumers with access to ethically produced, environmentally sustainable gold
Every year, over 2,700 tons of gold is mined around the world and 20 percent or over 500 tons annually is produced by artisanal and small-scale miners.
