swiss cooperation office mongolia

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Supporting Artisanal Miners in Mongolia: SDC‘s Experiences and Lessons Learnt. Patience Singo,Project Manager,Sustainable Artisanal Mining Project, Swiss Development Cooperation Mongolia

Swiss Cooperation Office Mongolia

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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 ASGM as

temporary phenomenon.

Disorganised, safety, health and environment risks.

Mercury use estimated at

10tons/annum.

Emergence of ASGM in Mongolia

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SDC Response: The SAM Project

•Transforming illegal ‘ninja mining’into a formal sub-sector.

‘Sustainable Artisanal Mining Project (SAM)’,

(2005-2014).

•SAM adopted a Rights Based Empowerment Approach in supporting ASGM.

SDC replicated lessons on

formalisation and

empowerment approaches from

Latin America.

3SCO Mongolia • Patience Singo 3

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Results of the SAM Project

4SCO Mongolia • Patience Singo 4

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Lessons Learnt

Political will of government key to regulate ASGM (ignoring or prohibition of ASGM is not the solution).

Appropriate legal framework: Incentive to ASGM formalisation and mercury reduction/ elimination.

Formalised miners: Are organised, paying taxes and rehabilitation funds and have stable & higher income (30-100% >informal) and use mercury free techniques.

5SDC Mongolia • Patience Singo

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Lessons Learnt

To move from mercury to elimination-Mongolia adopted a strict regulatory approach.

• Due to improved gold recovery rate of 75% and increased income. • Miners increasingly aware of Hg environmental and health risks.

Government monitoring is essential and building that capacity is key.

Mercury free approaches are successful and gaining popularity with many miners and are being replicated to a growing degree.


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Lessons Learnt

When Mongolia banned mercury in 2008, the approach worked as SAM quickly provided technical solutions, sufficient finance and program longevity.

Facilitation and support through development cooperation was needed to bring international experience and capacity in –country. But one size does not fit all

Mercury prohibition without viable technical alternatives and capacity does not work. It pushes miners to clandestine mercury use.


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Mercury reduction in Mongolia

1990s-2008ASGM Practices• Whole ore amalgamation• Open air burning• Poor chemical

management

Interventions• Awareness raising • Field testing of retorts• Government monitoring,

on mercury use


2008 April• Government bans mercury use in mining industry

2008- to dateASGM Practices• Mercury free processing • Aware of negative mercury effects

• Clandestine Hg use in areas

without processing plants.

Interventions• Introduction and replication of Hg

free plants• Government monitoring• Technical training • Technology improvement

Step 2

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Further Initiatives for Responsible ASGM and Mercury Reduction

SDC pursuing a joint initiative with UNIDO for the GEF project.

• To replicate Mongolia mercury free successes.• To fill existing gaps and discourage clandestine mercury use.

Fairtrade Fairmined Gold Certification and ecological premiums to provide incentives for miners to move to Hg-free processing


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Invitation to Swiss side event

Subsequent to the Technical Briefing.

Information on SDC experiences with ASGM from Latin America and Mongolia

Time: 12:30 to 14:00 (including lunch)

Venue:


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Thank you!

Formalisation and cleaner gold!Sustainable Artisanal Mining

(SAM) Project

swiss cooperation office mongolia

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