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Swiss Cooperation Office Mongolia. Supporting Artisanal Miners in Mongolia: SDC‘s Experiences and Lessons Learnt. Patience Singo, Project Manager, Sustainable Artisanal Mining Project, Swiss Development Cooperation Mongolia. Initial trigger: Droughts and severe winters 1997-2002.
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Swiss Cooperation Office Mongolia Supporting Artisanal Miners in Mongolia: SDC‘s Experiences and Lessons Learnt. Patience Singo,Project Manager,Sustainable Artisanal Mining Project, Swiss Development Cooperation Mongolia
Initial trigger: Droughts and severe winters 1997-2002. Ex-herders turn to ASGM (ninja mining) for livelihood. 100,000 miners, 20% of rural workforce. Illegal, negative public opinion. Policy makers regarded ASM as temporary phenomenon. Disorganised, safety, health and environment risks. Mercury use estimated at 10tons/annum. Emergence of ASM in Mongolia
SDC Response: The SAM Project SCO Mongolia • Patience Singo • ‘Sustainable Artisanal Mining Project (SAM)’, (2005-2014). • Transforming illegal ‘ninja mining’into a sector of the formal economy. • SDC replicates Latin American experiences. • Creation of ASM legal framework 2010. • ASM formalisation through Rights Based Empowerment Approaches. 3
SDC Response: The SAM Project SCO Mongolia • Patience Singo SDC Mongolia • Patience Singo • 1868 miners from 11 sites formalised in 2011. • 2670 miners organise into mining based communities with 12 strong Associations. • Introduction and replication of Hg-free gold processing plants. • 15000 miners use Hg -free plants per year. 4
Lessons Learnt • ASM transformation starts with appropriate legal framework. • Political will of policy makers key to regulate ASM. • Formalisation an incentive to responsible ASMG (including mercury reduction). SDC Mongolia • Patience Singo
Lessons Learnt Formalized miners. Organized and follow regulations. Have increased and stable income (30-100% > than informal. Utilize mercury free mineral processing techniques. 46% & 18% of miners enrolled in health and social insurances respectively. Have improved livelihood quality. Have paid rehabilitation funds up to 8800CHF. SDC Mongolia • Patience Singo
Lessons Learnt • Mercury free plants replicated by demand from mining communities: • Due to improved gold recovery, 75% (increased income). CHF 4.5million worth of gold produced annually directly to miners. • Enabling legal framework supporting replication( security for miners). • Miners aware of Hg environmental and health risks. SDC Mongolia • Patience Singo
Lessons Learnt • Development cooperation brings often lacking capacity in-country • Legalisation of ASGM and formalisation are key to mercury reduction and eventual elimination SDC Mongolia • Patience Singo
Mercury Reduction and Fair trade initiatives. • Potential SDC-UNIDO GEF project being developed. • To replicate Mongolia mercury free successes. • To fill existing gaps and enhance mercury reduction where there exists clandestine use. • FTFM incentives for ecological premiums expected to further incentivise towards Hg-free processing SDC Mongolia • Patience Singo
Thank you! Formalisation leads to cleaner gold and secure life for all. Sustainable Artisanal Mining (SAM) Project SDC Mongolia • Patience Singo