ARM to begin an outreach and scoping programme in Africa with support from CASM

SCOPING OPPORTUNITIES FOR DEVELOPING FAIR TRADE PROCESSES FOR ASM IN AFRICA is the project approved to ARM by the DGF fund of the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development of the World Bank Group. The project leader is Nicole Walshe based in Angola, and its main objectives are:

To assess the desirability and feasibility of producing fair trade gold in three pilot countries in Africa (Mozambique, Tanzania and Ghana) to bring equitable economic and social benefits to men and women miners and families in ASM communities

Gather input from ASM miners, support organisations and government institutions in Mozambique, Tanzania and Ghana on applicability of draft Standard Zero for Fair Trade Gold.

Contribute to creating the conditions for pilot fair trade ASM gold projects to develop in Mozambique, Tanzania and Ghana

Identify the institutional arrangements and most appropriate partnerships in each of the three countries to take the Fair Trade process forward in the mid-term.

The project will be implemented in 2007 and is the basis for selecting African partners and pilot mining communities, to test Standard Zero in Africa at a later date. It will involve workshops, meetings, networking and desk research.

Standard Zero Technical Committee for Fair Trade Gold and Associated Precious Metals meets in Lima to incorporate public consultation comments and visits potential pilot sites in the Central and Southern Coastal region of Peru.

The ARM technical committee for Standard Zero met in Lima between the 27-31st of January in an intensive workshop where all the comments received from individuals and through the consultation workshops were reviewed and considered. The technical committee aimed at refining the standards, simplifying the language and reducing the number of requirements, in order to ensure that Standard Zero does not constitute a barrier, but does promote the inclusion of responsible ASM organizations. The updated version of Standard Zero for pilot testing in Latin America initially, and in Africa and Asia later, will be available shortly on this website in four languages.

What kind of ASM will receive Fair Trade certification?

Considering that there is no globally accepted definition of artisanal and small scale mining, and that the definitions and forms of organisation may vary under different national legislations, ARM proposes the following working definition for Fair Trade ASM based on the idea of COMMUNITY MINING. ARM may wish to expand this definition in the future:

Present: Gelkha Buitrago (FLO- Bonn), Catalina Cock (Green Gold and ARM), Cristina Echavarria (ARM), Felix Hruschka (GAMA Project), Kathia Romero for Cesar Mosquera (ILO), Gommert Mes (consultant), Manuel Reinoso (AMASUC), Patrick Schein (S&P Trading), Greg Valerio (CRED Jewellery and Foundation), Roberto Villas-Boas (academic- CETEM),
Invitees: Ervin Rentería (COV miner and ARM Board), Chris Davis (Fairtrade Foundation, UK), Magali Llatas (Both ENDS).

Regrets: Gabriela Factor (consultant, gender and environment), Hermann Wotruba (academic – Germany), CASM representative, GMP representative.

TECHNICAL COMMITTEE AND ARM TEAM IN PERU Felix Hruschka – ASM expert, Austria, Patrick Schein - S&P Trading, France, Ervin Renteria - COV/ARM, Colombia, Victor Manuel Reinoso – President, AMASUC Peru, Gommarius Mes – Independent advisor on certification for small producers, Costa Rica/Netherlands, Gelkha Buitrago – Policy Coordinator, FLO International, Germany, Chris Davis - Fairtrade Foundation, UK,  Kathia Romero – ILO-IPEC, Peru (replacing Cesar Mosquera, ILO, Ecuador), Roberto Villas Boas - CETEM, Brazil, Catalina Cock – ARM/COV, Colombia, Cristina Echavarría – ARM, Colombia and invitees Guillermo Medina - coordinator of the Gama Peru project and Magali Llatas - Both ENDS – Netherlands.

Organized miners in the Central and Southern Peruvian mining communities of Relave, Cuatro Horas and Santa Filomena express great interest in being selected as pilot sites by the ARM Technical Committee for Standard Zero

Cuatro Horas Community: meeting with mining women

Accompanied by Manuel Reinoso, President of the Association of Artisanal Miners’ Organizations of Southern and Central South Peru AMASUC (www.mineroartesanal.org), and with the support team of the GAMA project of Swiss Agency for development and Cooperation SDC (http://www.cosude.org.pe), ARM’s technical committee and Board of directors visited potential pilot sites.

The miners proudly showed the visitors the results of their long struggle towards formalisation in the towns of Relave, Cuatro Horas and Filomena. The technical committee saw for themselves that responsible ASM is possible and it is what most miners want. All of the mining communities also have women miners organizations who are keen to know more about their chances as fair trade gold miners to improve their families’ livelihoods and the quality of life in their communities.

Despite progress by organized miners, challenges remain both within the formal operations and in the informal operations in some of the mining communities visited. However, it is precisely in these situations where the implementation of a fair trade scheme can bring improvement by promoting more organized and responsible mining practices.

Relave Community (AURELSA community mining company): Ervin Renteria, Catalina Cock and Cristina Echavarria, preparing to go inside the mine with the mining chief and other miners

For example in the town of Relave, artisanal mills using mercury are inside the village, and children are in constant and direct contact with the mercury used to process the milled ore. The organized miners want to move the artisanal plants outside of the village onto a proper processing facility with a communal retort such as exists in nearby Santa Filomena, to get the children away from danger. They believe that this could be one use of the fair trade premium.