TECHNICAL COMMITTEE

GELKHA BUITRAGO

Colombian economist, MSc in economics and PhD studies at the University of Paris 1 – Pantheón-Sorbonne.  Over 10 years of experience in the design, implementation and evaluation of public policies, with a strong interest in poverty issues and development programs. At the moment she is Policy Coordinator at theFairtrade Labelling Organizations International (FLO) -the worldwide Fairtrade Standard setting and Certification organisation for Fair Trade.

CATALINA COCK

Colombian Social Entrepreneur. Sociologist and Political Scientist from the Maryland University. Masters in Social Policy Planning for developing countries, London School of Economics.  Over 8 years of experience in community development and promotion of sustainable use of natural resources. Co-founder, former director and current advisor of Fundación Amigos del Chocó and the Green Gold Initiative. Co-founder and Chair of the Association for Responsible Mining, ARM. Special interest in social entrepreneurship, sustainable land use and green and fair trade markets as mechanisms to promote sustainable livelihoods. Involved with academia both as a lecturer and researcher.  Fellow of Ashoka, a global network of social entrepreneurs.

CRISTINA ECHAVARRIA

Colombian Archaeologist-Geologist, MSc in Social Research and Educational Development. Over 20 years of experience in grassroots community development, social research and administration of research programs in participatory natural resource management, with emphasis on the social, environmental and governance dimensions of the sustainable development of mineral rich regions.  She has played leadership and facilitation roles in multi-stakeholder consultation process in Latin America (MMSD), and in the formation of knowledge networks around mining and sustainable development issues. Has directed research programs to develop intercultural natural resource management tools, has developed formal and non-formal education programs, participatory action research for the organization and promotion of women, and has extensive experience in applying communications for development by combining traditional media (printed, radio, TV) with ICT’s, and using popular cultural expressions and both traditional and scientific knowledge.  Between 2000 and early 2005 she was the Director of the Mining Policy Research Initiative of Canadian IDRC.  At present Cristina is the Secretary General of the Association for Responsible Mining, ARM.

GABRIELA FACTOR
   
Argentinean, environment and development Consultant, is an Environmental Engineer with strong background in both traditional engineering sciences such as environmental impact of mining, cleaner technologies and solid waste management, as well as awareness, capacity building and gender issues. Ms Factor has hands-on experience in training rural and mining communities, grass roots organizations, technical staff and governmental officers in both environmental and gender issues, as well as risk management and emergency prevention plans, participatory process to promote awareness and environment friendly planning and social control.

FELIX HRUSCHKA

Felix Hruschka is an Austrian mining/metallurgical engineer with a PhD in mineral economics. Since 1992 he worked in various development projects, oriented towards the sustainable development of artisanal and small-scale gold mining. His experience covers mainly the Andean countries of Latin America, and partially some countries in Africa. Currently (until end of 2006) he holds the position of advisor of the third phase of the GAMA project (Environmental Management for Artisanal Mining), implemented by Projekt-Consult on behalf of the Swiss Development Agency SDC and the Peruvian Government.

GOMMARIUS MES

Dutch, Senior consultant in Environment and Rural Development MSc in Tropical Silviculture, Forestry Economics and International Policy. 20 years in environment and rural development programs, especially those based on financial incentives. Specific fields of expertise include the design and application of financial instruments and policies for natural resource conservation (payments for environmental or ecosystem services, reforestation incentives, CDM/JI), market-based mechanisms for sustainable management of natural resources (for example, certification), institutional strengthening (of national environmental agencies), monitoring & evaluation, biodiversity conservation, sustainable management of natural renewable resources, rural development, protected area establishment and management (as part of a national or regional system), and aspects related to the Kyoto Protocol (carbon finance/CDM).  Long term appointments abroad of 2 years and more in Colombia, Costa Rica and Ecuador, and shorter periods of work in Brazil, Panama, Guyana, Nicaragua, Cape Verde, Dominican Republic, Mexico, Peru, Chile, Portugal, Albania, FYR of Macedonia, Greece and Indonesia.

CESAR MOSQUERA

Peruvian lawyer with an MSc in Social Management.  Since 1988 dedicated to the study, design and implementation of technical cooperation programs in the mining sector, and specifically in Artisanal and small scale mining since 1995.  Present advisor to ILO in Lima on the dignification of labour in mining, and until recently regional director for the IPEC-ILO Program on Prevention and Progressive Elimination of Child Labor in ASM, which developed in Bolivia, Ecuador, Colombia and Peru between 2000 and 2005.

VICTOR MANUEL REINOSO RIVAS

Peruvian, artisanal miner since 1993, in 1999 he become shareholder of the mining Enterprise La Victoria S.A. In 2001 he assumed the general management and in May of 2001 he assumed the responsibility, among other miners and sectors, of formulating a law project for the formalization of Artisanal mining in Peru. Supported by international cooperation, he participated in the organization of the first artisanal miners encounter realized in the city of Arequipa, there he was elected president of the Coordinating Commission of Artisanal Miners of the Middle South. With the support of other leaders from Puno and Madre de Dios, the law 27651 of Formalization and Promotion of Small Scale and Artisanal Mining, is released. In July of 2002 he assumes the presidency of the Regional Association of Artisanal Miners Producers of the Middle South and Center of Peru, AMASUC.

PATRICK SCHEIN

Patrick SCHEIN is French, 39, graduated in Finance/Marketing, and since 1992 is active in the precious metals Industry. Based in Paris, he runs a Precious Metal Trading & Refining Company that brought him to be in contact with ASM networks around Africa and South America. In 2004, he started to work on how to adapt Fair Trade Principles to Gold in order to increase the revenues of the small producers. He is working today towards the first accreditation of a Fair Trade producer organization and defining the industry standards for Fair Trade gold refining and processing. His aim is to create a Small Scale Gold Commodity. He assists the UNIDO as an expert analyzing how this new Commodity could alleviate poverty in the ASM sector.

MARCELLO VEIGA

Dr. Marcello Veiga is a metallurgical engineer with MSc degree in Environmental Geochemistry and PhD in Mining and Mineral Processing Engineering. He has worked for the past 25 years, as a metallurgical engineer and environmental geochemist for mining and consulting companies in Brazil, Canada, US, Venezuela, Chile and Peru. He has worked extensively on environmental, social and economic issues related to artisanal gold mining in numerous Latin American and African countries. As an associate professor of the Department of Mining Engineering at the University of British Columbia, Canada, since 1997, his research topics include: sustainable development in mining, mine closure and reclamation, remedial procedures for mercury pollution, adverse effects of metals and mineral processing. From August 2002 to July 2004, he was the Small-scale Mining Expert of the GEF/UNDP/UNIDO Global Mercury Project. Since March 2005 he is the Chief Technical Advisor of the project

GREG VALERIO

Greg Valerio is the founding director and principle owner of CRED Jewellery. Since 1996 Greg has worked tirelessly towards establishing Fair Trade Standards in the jewellery sector. Greg is a founding board member of the Association for Responsible Mining (ARM) and the first jeweller in Europe to introduce Fair Trade Gold & Platinum to the customer who wants socially and environmentally responsible gold. He is also the Chair of the CRED Foundation, a UK registered NGO working amongst the poor and marginalised around the world, and establishing jewellery cooperatives that benefit the poorest of the poor. Greg's aim is to deliver high quality premium jewellery to the consumer with a conscience and by doing so move the jewellery trade towards a more environmentally sustainable and socially just supply chain.

HERMANN WOTRUBA

German. Professor, Doctor and Mining Engineer of the University of Aachen, Germany, specialization in mineral processing, Small Scale Mining, Mining and Environment, Secondary Raw Materials Processing (Recycling).  Over 15 years of field and laboratory experience in Germany, Canada, Bolivia, Ecuador, Niger, Thailand, Venezuela, Brazil, Peru, Nicaragua, South Africa, Namibia, Armenia, Serbia, Macedonia, Laos.  Recognised trajectory with ASM in technology transfer for clean production and environmental impact mitigation of ASM.

ROBERTO VILLAS BOAS
Mining Engineer, Escola Politécnica da Universidade de São Paulo, Brazil, 1967; M.Sc., Metallurgical Engineering, Colorado School of Mines, USA, 1971; D.Sc., Materials Engineering, COPPE/UFRJ, Brazil, 1977.

More than 30 years of experience in Mining and Materials research. Associated and visiting professor of many Universities worldwide. He has been consultant to several mineral enterprises (ICOMI, CVRD, USIMINAS, etc.); director, president and advisor of many entities of research, sustainable development and mining. His area of expertise is based on the relationship between science and society through citizen participation in planning and decision making in issues that involve science and technology. He has also worked on material applications and new materials, sustainable development indicators for the material industry and artisanal small scale mining.

CHRISTOPHER SHELDON

Is a Senior Mining Specialist with the World Bank's Oil, Gas and Mining Department. Christopher has a business background and first started working in mining in Papua New Guinea in 1994. He has extensive experience in mining and community issues and has been part of the Communities and Small-scale Mining (CASM) Secretariat since 2005. Christopher leads the CASM work on Fair Trade and sees fair trade for artisanal miners as one of the best market driven opportunities for miners and their communities to improve the quality of their lives.

MEMBERS BOARD OF DIRECTORS

VICTOR MANUEL REINOSO RIVAS
Peruvian, artisanal miner since 1993, in 1999 he become shareholder of the mining Enterprise La Victoria S.A. In 2001 he assumed the general management and in May of 2001 he assumed the responsibility, among other miners and sectors, of formulating a law project for the formalization of Artisanal mining in Peru. Supported by international cooperation, he participated in the organization of the first artisanal miners encounter realized in the city of Arequipa, there he was elected president of the Coordinating Commission of Artisanal Miners of the Middle South. With the support of other leaders from Puno and Madre de Dios, the law 27651 of Formalization and Promotion of Small Scale and Artisanal Mining, is released. In July of 2002 he assumes the presidency of the Regional Association of Artisanal Miners Producers of the Middle South and Center of Peru, AMASUC.

PATRICK SCHEIN
Patrick SCHEIN is French, 39, graduated in Finance/Marketing, and since 1992 is active in the precious metals Industry. Based in Paris, he runs a Precious Metal Trading & Refining Company that brought him to be in contact with ASM networks around Africa and South America. In 2004, he started to work on how to adapt Fair Trade Principles to Gold in order to increase the revenues of the small producers. He is working today towards the first accreditation of a Fair Trade producer organization and defining the industry standards for Fair Trade gold refining and processing. His aim is to create a Small Scale Gold Commodity. He assists the UNIDO as an expert analyzing how this new Commodity could alleviate poverty in the ASM sector.

GREG VALERIO
Greg Valerio is the founding director and principle owner of CRED Jewellery. Since 1996 Greg has worked tirelessly towards establishing Fair Trade Standards in the jewellery sector. Greg is a founding board member of the Association for Responsible Mining (ARM) and the first jeweller in Europe to introduce Fair Trade Gold & Platinum to the customer who wants socially and environmentally responsible gold. He is also the Chair of the CRED Foundation, a UK registered NGO working amongst the poor and marginalised around the world, and establishing jewellery cooperatives that benefit the poorest of the poor. Greg's aim is to deliver high quality premium jewellery to the consumer with a conscience and by doing so move the jewellery trade towards a more environmentally sustainable and socially just supply chain.

CATALINA COCK
Colombian Social Entrepreneur. Sociologist and Political Scientist from the Maryland University. Masters in Social Policy Planning for developing countries, London School of Economics.  Over 8 years of experience in community development and promotion of sustainable use of natural resources. Co-founder, former director and current advisor of Fundación Amigos del Chocó and the Green Gold Initiative. Co-founder and Chair of the Association for Responsible Mining, ARM. Special interest in social entrepreneurship, sustainable land use and green and fair trade markets as mechanisms to promote sustainable livelihoods. Involved with academia both as a lecturer and researcher.  Fellow of Ashoka, a global network of social entrepreneurs

WILSON MUTAGWABA
Is a Tanzanian Mining Engineer Engineering and holds a PhD in Mining Engineering (Computer Aided Design) with more than 24 years experience in the field of, small-scale mining in Tanzania, Ghana, Sierra Leone, Swaziland, Lesotho, Malawi, Sudan  and Uganda. Since 1995, Wilson has worked as a consultant providing services to the mining industry, governments and International agencies on mining related fields, including mining policy and legislation, environmental impact assessments, mercury use abatement, among others. Furthermore, Wilson has more than 36 acknowledged publications on mining related topics.

MARIA LAURA BARRETO
Is a lawyer and PHD in Mineral Engineering. She has 25 years of experience in the field of extractive industries and environmental law. Her career involves three major phases in different locations: Mozambique, Brazil and Canada. In Mozambique, she was a senior legal advisor to the Minister of Mineral Resources. In Brazil, during 17 years, she became an academic both as a researcher and professor, and she continued her work as a Senior Legal and Policy Advisor for the Secretary of Mining and Metallurgy, particularly in the area of international environmental negotiations. Arriving in Canada in 2002, she co-founded a consulting company, the Materials Efficiency Research Group, which has been actively engaged with a range of governments, companies and NGOs in the field of environmental law and extractive industries. She is also a visiting professor at universities in British Columbia, Spain and the USA. During recent years, she has worked primarily with the University of Ottawa at the IUCN Academy of Environmental Law. Dr. Barreto is also a member of RESPOMIN, the Iberoamerican network for responsible ASM coordinated by ARM, and advisor on regulatory and public policy issues relating to ASM.

ERVIN RENTERÍA
Ervin is a Colombian community leader, born a campesino or peasant. He has a technological degree in finances and accounting, as well as studies in community enterprises and formulation and evaluation of social projects. Since he was a young man he has been involved in the ethnic organizational process of the afro Colombian communities in the Chocó region of Colombia. Today he is the Coordinator of the Quality Management System for the Oro Verde Corporation, the main objective of which is to standardize processes and procedures in the extraction of   green gold and platinum. He is also in charge of verifying the compliance with certification criteria through auditing of the certified miners.