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Standard Setting is one of 3 strategic work areas for ARM. ARM focuses on fair trade standards as they offer a market niche for small scale producers all over the world. ARM develops its standards following the ISEAL Code of Good Practice for standard setting. A technical committee is elected with representation of key stakeholders from all the supply chain. Once developed, the draft standards are submitted to public consultation through broadly inclusive multi-stakeholder processes that combine face to face workshops, and the use of Internet. At present ARM and FLO/FTF have signed a MoU to continue developing standards for Fair Trade artisanal gold and associated metals, known as Standard Zero for Fair Trade Artisanal Gold and Associated Silver and Platinum. In the mid term ARM will work with key organisations to develop Fair Trade standards for other precious stones and minerals, including diamonds. |
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STANDARD ZERO NEWS |
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ARM Continues Ground Testing of the Standard Zero Pilot Projects in 4 Countries. |
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Puruña, artisanal miner tool to measure quantity of gold in the material |
The first part of the regional workshop consisted of two days of meetings that focused on capacity-building for producers and support organisations. Sessions were devoted to:
- Progress reports on the various individual pilot projects in Ecuador , Perú , Bolivia and Colombia
- Analysis and feedback from working groups on the practical application of the Baseline Assessment and Cost of Production Tools for Fair Trade Gold (facilitated by Félix Hruschka)
- Capacity-building for Quality Management and Assurance in the individual pilot project producer groups (led by AMICHOCO)
- Workshop on Risk Analysis and Conflict Management in the Value Chain (conducted by Prodiálogo).
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Tour of the AURELSA´s producer organisation's operations |
Future actions that emerged from these sessions included three working groups dedicated to issues surrounding the baseline toolkit ( Felix Hruschka ), Cost of Production toolkit (TBA), and Public Policies ( Laura Barreto ). Also, training and roll-out of the Quality Management System will lead by Lina Villa of AMICHOCO. The ARM secretariat will coordinate engagement for the forthcoming CASM (date and place?) meeting in order to present the outcomes of Pilot Projects and future strategies of the network.
On Friday April 25 th , a public meeting was held at the Peruvian National Congress to discuss Fair Trade in Artisanal and Small-Scale mining, with a focus on the Peruvian context. This was an important opportunity for ARM pilots and stakeholders to dialogue with the government regarding progresses to date, future expectations and the role and necessity of governments to engage with, and provide support for this movement towards responsible mining. Congressman Tomas Cenzano Sierralta vocalized his commitment to support the process of formalization in the sector and outlined the legislative reforms that are currently before congress. The congressman also noted that the proposed legislation seeks to draw a distinction between large and small-scale operations, which is in line with ARMs objectives for the effective development of ASM. The meeting concluded with the launch of the publication “ La Rama Dorada : Guia para Mineria Artesanal y de Pequena Escala Responsible” authored by members of the RESPOMIN network.
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Leaders of the ASM legislation In Perú: Moises Quispe, Raúl Chavez, Manuel Reinoso and Félix Hruschka |
On Saturday 26 th of April, prior to the Southward departure of the caravan of delegates, the morning session was devoted to exploring opportunities for collaboration between ARM and the Fair Trade Labelling Organisation. FLO and its member organisations, UK based Fair Trade Foundation and Transfair America had an opportunity to learn about the pilot projects, ARMs objectives, structure and commercialization strategy, and to discuss possibilities of developing a jointly administered certification system for fair trade minerals produced by small producers.
The travel to Southern Peru was an opportunity for the miners to participate in horizontal learning and to exchange technical and organisational knowledge and experiences, development and commercialization strategies and best-practices. Each visit to the pilot projects included a tour of the mining operations and processing facilities.
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| Visit to SOTRAMI mine in Santa Filomena, Tomás Sanchez, Ing. Eugenio Huayhua Mine´s leaders and Cristina Echavarria sharing experiences with people from FTF, FLO and other pilot sites |
Initially, the caravan travelled to Santa Filomena and was hosted by the SOTRAMI Producer Organisation and Pallaqueras or women miners. The second pilot that was visited was in the mining town of Cuatro Horas with a tour of the MACDESA producer organisation's operations. A meeting was also held with the women miners (Mujeres Seleccionadoras) at their headquarters where emphasis was placed on the importance of gender empowerment and equity for successful implementation of Standard Zero principles. On the final day of the excursion, the participants visited Relave to see the work of the AURELSA corporation.
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Visitors and inhabitants of Santa Filomena new town walking toward the SOTRAMI company |
ARM and all the participants would like to thank the communities of Santa Filomena, Cuatro Horas and Relave for opening the door to learning, networking and sharing the expertise that they have developed with miners, pilot-projects, and participants from within and beyond the region.
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| Victoria Pacsi and Maria Reyes women miner leaders at the National Congress Perú. |
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| Ervin Rentería, Manuel Reinoso , Cristina Echavarria and the Congressman Tomas Cenzano Sierralta at the National Congress Peru receiving presents from miners. |
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ARM announces that it will include small entrepreneurs with workers in the testing of Standard Zero.
In early 2007, when the criteria for selection of pilot sites for testing Standard Zero was being discussed by the Technical committee, it was decided to test standard zero only with what we called community miners.
“A community mining organization is comprised of a majority of members or shareholders who are active miners, and as members of the local community contribute to its social and economic development.”
This decision was taken with the criteria of trying to reduce the level of complexity that we would face in most requirements of Standard Zero on the ground. Under that logic it was decided that we would take out the section on small producers with contracted labour, until we had covered more ground in terms of learning. ARM however stated that this criteria would be expanded later.
Over the past year we have received numerous requests from small entrepreneurs with workers, who have strongly requested ARM to include them in the testing phase. Apart from Mr. Carneiro in Brazil, this is the situation of the Grupo Minero Machala in Ecuador (working in the Bella Rica concession). Additionally, in our recent scoping studies in Mozambique, Tanzania and Uganda, it seems like the small entrepreneur model is one of the scenarios where important leadership for this process can be found at the local level. One of the main difficulties of this model is to define how the fair-trade premium benefits are distributed, in particular where we have migrant workers from other countries or communities. Conversations with the Fairtrade Foundation of the UK indicate that this is fairly common in fair trade bananas, for example, and that solutions exist to address this situation and to improve the lot of migrant workers, who are an important part of ASM.
Therefore, the technical committee has decided to reconsider its earlier decision and the section on standards for small producers with contracted workers has been reincorporated into Standard Zero and will be tested in Ecuador in 2008. |
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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. |
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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:
“A community mining organisation is comprised of a majority of members or shareholders who are active miners, and as members of the local community contribute to its social and economic development. Fair trade gold certification will only be given to community mining organizations, not individual miners
or small scale entrepreneurs.”
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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.
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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.
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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
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Cuatro Horas Community: meeting with mining women
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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.
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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.
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ARM to begin an outreach and scoping programme in Africa with support from CASM More
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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. More
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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 More
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Ecuador Regional Workshop: Camilo Ponce Enríquez, Azuay Province.
A regional consultation on Standard Zero for Fair Trade Gold and Associated Silver and Platinum was held with over 30 miners, local NGO representatives, international organisations officers and local community leaders in the mining region of Camilo Ponce Enríquez, Azuay Province, Ecuador on August 18th.
The workshop was supported by local NGOs ESPOL and Desarrollo y Acción (DyA), The University of Nariño (Colombia) and the especial participation of ILO Ecuador. The mining communities to be leaded by the mentioned NGOs are very keen to participate as a pilot case for testing standard zero on the ground with a network of organizations from Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru, and expressed their interest in accomplish with the standard zero’s requirements as a fundamental of the ASM practice for the good of the communities and the environment.
See conclusions and recommendations
See the List of Attendees
See Pictures
Colombia Regional Workshop: Nariño
A regional consultation on Standard Zero for Fair Trade Gold and Associated Silver and Platinum was held with over 70 miners, jewellers, government officers and local community leaders in the mining region of La Llanada, Nariño, in South Colombia on July 29th. The organized miners and the university and environmental authority as support organizations are very keen to participate as a pilot case for testing standard zero on the ground with a network of organizations from Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru. These miners and support organizations have been working together for over 10 years to implement cleaner technologies through a network of mining environmental centres, where miners process and refine the metal under controlled conditions. ARM acknowledges the support of the University of Nariño, the Municipality of La Llanada and the Regional Environmental Authority for this workshop.
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See conclusions and recommendations
See the List of Attendees
See Pictures
See PPT presentation on the Mining Environmental Centres (Spanish only) |
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Global Workshop at the 7th CASM Meeting: Mongolia.
A global consultation workshop on Standard Zero for Fair Trade Gold and Associated Silver and Platinum was held with over 50 miners, jewellers, government officers and local community leaders during the 7th CASM Meeting in Ulaan Bataar, Mongolia on September 15th.
The participants worked in groups to analyse and comment on the environmental, social, economic, trading and labour requirements of ARM’s Standard Zero for Fairtrade Artisanal Gold and Associated Silver and Platinum. Results and photos are now available.
See Conclusions and Recommendations
See the List of Attendees
See Pictures |
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ARM STARTS THE GROUND TESTING OF STANDARD ZERO WITH MINERS
First Regional Workshop on Standard Zero for Fair Trade Artisanal Gold and Associated Silver and Platinum Takes place in Colombia.
The First Regional Workshop of the network of Latin American pilot projects for testing Standard Zero for Fair Trade Artisanal Gold and Associated Silver and Platinum was held at the Recinto Quirama, near Medellin, Colombia on November 26-30. 5 country teams attended, involving over 30 people among miners from the producer organisations, researchers-practitioners from the support organisations, teachers, jewellers, government officers and mining community leaders.
ARM will test Standard Zero at 10 different places in Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru. The pilot teams, comprised of miners and support organisations working together, presented the characteristics of each pilot project, analysing the challenges and opportunities for each case.
The main objective of the workshop was to consolidate the regional network of pilot projects, learn how to use the toolkits in the field, and discuss the challenges and opportunities they face. They worked in groups to train, test and refine the two toolkits developed by ARM consultant-teacher Eng. Felix Hruschka: The Participatory Baseline Assessment Toolkit and the Cost of Production Toolkit.
Lina Villa of Amichoco (Colombia) facilitated a workshop where each group analysed its organisational profile and did a traceability exercise of the route of gold today from pilot sites to the international market, identifying the key players along the supply chain. This is a first step towards developing an Internal Quality Assurance System for each organisation, such as the one used by Oro Verde.
Laura Barreto of MERG (Canada) facilitated a discussion with the miners on identifying for each country the opportunities and limitations of the legal framework and public policy towards ASM, for fair trade labelling of ASM gold. This is the basis for a deeper study to provide enabling policy and legal recommendations for responsible ASM.
ARM proposed a strategy for testing the supply chain during the pilot testing phase. Gold from the pilot sites will be taken to Europe through a completely traceable route, the challenges along the supply chain will be identified and addressed during the process.
Two special invitees attended the meeting: Ms. Kathleen Charles, Strategic Services and International Trade Advisor, FMBE-African Precious Metals Branch, who shared with the Latin Americans the APM Project with ASM in Tanzania, generating enormous interest in credit schemes.
The second invitee was Eng. Oseas García, who manages a large program with ASM in the NE Antioquia and Lower Cauca regions of Colombia, renown for the very high pollution levels, especially mercury and cyanide. This is a regional government program which has partnered with the GMPII to mitigate and reduce mercury use over the next 5 years.
The workshop was possible thanks to funding from CYTED, Stichting DOEN, Solidaridad, FLO and Oxfam NOVIB.
See ARM’s Presentation (Spanish Only)
See Country’s Presentations (Zip File)
See List of Attendees
See Pictures |
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STANDARD ZERO CONSULTATION PROCESS |
The first phase of public consultation of Standard Zero was held between August and December 2006. Invitations to provide input were made via several list serves and also posted on the first page of the ARM website in four languages inviting comments from interested parties. We received input from individuals and organisations, as follows:
- Alyson Warhurst, University of Warwick/Maplecroft, UK.
- Aidan Davy, International Council on Mining and Metals, UK
- Assheton Carter, Conservation International, USA.
- Bedidjo Fuarwinyo Louis, AEMAPRI:Association des Exploitants Miniers Artisanaux pour la Pacification et la Réconstruction de l'Ituri; (in the North Eastern of the DRC; near Ouganda).
- Tetsopgang Samuel, CREPD, Centre de Recherche et d’Education pour le Development, Yaoundé, Cameroon.
- CSP2, Earthworks, and WWF, USA.
- Eduardo Chaparro, CEPAL, Chile.
- Estelle Levin, independent consultant, UK.
- Guillermo Medina, GAMA Project. Peru.
- Jurgen Vasters y Markus Wagner, Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources of Germany, BGR.
- Kevin De Souza, CASM - Wardell Armstrong, UK
- Kristina Schafer – ARTMINERS, USA
- Marcello Veiga, Proyecto Global sobre Mercurio, GMP, Canada.
- Michael Preister, Projekt Consult, Germany.
- Paulo Carneiro: Garimpeiro Entrepreneur, Brazil.
- Santiago Porto, CRJP (Council for Responsible Jewellery Practices).
- Stephen Metcalf, Global Mercury Project, GMP, Canada.
Workshops have also been held by ARM in South America and Africa with over 300 participants, in four languages as follows:
- Two local workshops with community miners in Tadó and Condoto, Chocó (Colombia) August 2006.
- One national workshop in Neiva, Huila (Colombia) with mining cooperatives, academics and government officials involved in supply chain programs, (September 2006).
- National Peruvian Workshop with miners’ organizations, NGO’s, government officials, donors and academics, (September 2006).
- National workshop in Maputo, Mozambique, with participation of government officials and the Association of Mozambican Mine Workers, (November 2006).
- Global workshop in Madagascar with participation of a broad multi-stakeholder group from over 8 African delegations, Asian, American and European participants at CASM, (November 2006).
- Regional Latin American Workshop, with over 60 delegates of ASM organizations and mining cooperatives of Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru, as well as Peruvian government officials, NGO’s and interested donors. Lima, (December 2006).
- A local workshop with miners, government officials and traders in Remedios and Segovia mining region, Colombia, (March 2007).
- A national workshop in La Paz, Bolivia, with delegates from the main Federations of Miner’s Cooperatives, government officials, NGO representatives and International cooperation officers, coordinated by ARM partner Cumbre del Sajama, (March 2007).
- A local workshop in La Llanada mining community, in Nariño (Colombia) with delegates from 12 cooperatives, community based organisations, local government authorities, academics and local environmental officers, (July 2007)
For detailed results of each workshop see here
Early in 2007 in Lima, Peru, the technical committee reviewed the input received during 2006. An updated version of Standard Zero is now available for further comments and consultation with interested parties at the ARM website, http://www.communitymining.org/. In its present form it will be pilot tested for 12 months initially in Latin America, later in Africa and Asia.
If you wish to provide input to Standard Zero please download the 2007 version, fill in and return to arm@communitymining.org.
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STANDARD ZERO CONSULTATION WORKSHOP MINUTES |
La Llanada, Nariño, Colombia Workshop, July 2007 |
Conclusions and recommendations |
See Here |
List of Attendees |
See Here |
Pictures
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See Here |
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PILOT PROJECTS: GROUND TESTING OF STANDARD ZERO WITH MINER’S ORGANISATIONS |
The Standard Zero will be tested on the ground during 2008. Pilot projects will begin in South America where the miners have reached significant levels of organisation. Pilots are being planned for the South Central region of Peru, the Colombian Choco and Nariño and the North of the Department of La Paz in Bolivia. In a second stage pilot projects are likely to develop in Africa and Asia. To this end ARM is undertaking a study to scope opportunities in Mozambique, Tanzania and Ghana or Uganda.
The proposed process involves the formation of Latin American pilot teams of miners and support organisations working as a regional network to test the standards in different contexts. ARM will produce the training and evaluation tools, and these will be tested and refined by the pilot teams through an iterative process that combines tool development by senior consultants, learning by doing, training of trainers and miner exchanges.
Standard Zero will be tested during 2008, and the first certified Fair Trade gold is expected to be launched in 2009.
CERTIFICATION
ARM and the International Fairtrade Labelling Organization (FLO) have signed an agreement to collaborate in the development of fair trade standards for artisanal gold and associated platinum produced by community miners. FLO Cert. would be the certifier for Fair Trade Artisanal Gold and Associated Platinum.
In the near future ARM will develop partnerships with relevant organisations to develop and test Fair Trade Standards for Artisanal Diamonds, other precious metals, gems and other minerals produced by ASM. To that end ARM is also exploring other independent options for certification of ASM minerals.
For more information on pilot testing of Standard Zero see here
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STANDARD ZERO FOR FAIRTRADE ARTISANAL GOLD AND ASSOCIATED SILVER AND PLATINUM - 2007 VERSION |
DOWNLOAD HERE FOR INPUT
THE STANDARD ZERO FOR FAIR TRADE ARTISANAL GOLD AND ASSOCIATED SILVER AND PLATINUM it is a set of draft principles and standards produced by a technical committee during 2006 under the coordination of ARM. (http://www.communitymining.org/)
It is based on the VISION OF QUIRAMA for responsible ASM:
ASM is a formalized, organized and profitable activity, that uses efficient technologies and is socially and environmentally responsible; it progressively develops within a framework of good governance, legality, participation and respect for diversity; it increases its contribution to the generation of decent work, local development, poverty reduction and social peace in our nations, stimulated by a growing consumer demand for sustainable minerals and jewellery.” |
The standards are an adaptation of the Fairtrade Labelling Organisations (FLO) standards for small producers to the situation of artisanal and small scale community mining.
The new 2007 version of Standard Zero for Fair Trade Artisanal Gold and Associated Silver and Platinum is the result of work undertaken by the technical committee meeting in Lima from 27 - 31st January, 2007. It incorporates the input received from different stakeholders during the first phase of public consultation of Standard Zero, held between August and December 2006
For your reference, the original 2006 version of Standard Zero is also available here
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TECHNICAL COMMITTEE |
Institutions and persons on the technical committee combine expertise in different aspects of ASM and fair trade, including certification, organizational strengthening of ASM groups, the dignification of labour, occupational health and safety, use of mercury, environmental management, gender issues, child labour issues, emergency preparedness and response, cleaner production, policy and formalization issues, ecological restoration practices, governance, sustainable livelihoods, and market and financial issues. They were invited on the basis of their recognised commitment to sustainable ASM, and a number of them belong to key organizations working in this sector, whose participation is crucial to ensure the legitimacy and technical quality of the scheme.
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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.
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MEMBERS OF THE TECHNICAL COMMITTEE FOR FAIRTRADE GOLD, AND ASSOCIATED SILVER AND PLATINUM: |
Gelkha Buitrago – Policy Coordinator - FLO International – Germany.
Email: g.buitrago@fairtrade.net
See Brief Bio |
Catalina Cock - President of the Board of Directors of ARM, Founder of Green Gold Corporation. Colombia/Netherlands
Email: catalinacock@gmail.com
See Brief Bio |
Cristina Echavarria –Secretary General, Association for Responsible Mining, ARM
Email: cechavarria@communitymining.org
See Brief Bio |
Gabriela Factor – Independent gender and environmental advisor, Argentina/Denmark.
Email: gabyfactor@yahoo.com
See Brief Bio |
Felix Hruschka - ASM Expert, Former Director of Gamma Project in Peru Austria. (http://www.gama-peru.org/)
E-mail: felix@hruschka.com
See Brief Bio |
Gommarius Mes – Independent advisor on certification for small producers, Costa Rica/Netherlands
Email: gommert_89@hotmail.com
See Brief Bio |
Cesar Mosquera - IPEC-ILO Progressive Elimination of Child Labour Programme,
Peru/Ecuador.
Email: mosquera@ilo.org.ec
See Brief Bio |
Victor Manuel Reinoso – President, AMASUC Peru.
Email: amasucperu@yahoo.es
See Brief Bio |
Patrick Schein – Gold Trader and Refiner, S&P Trading, France.
Email: schein.patrick@gmail.com
See Brief Bio |
Greg Valerio – Jeweller, CRED Foundation, UK
Email: greg.valerio@credjewellery.com
See Brief Bio |
Marcello Veiga - Global Mercury Project-GMP, Canada/Brazil - http://www.unido.org/en/doc/44254
Email: veiga@apsc.ubc.ca
See Brief Bio |
Hermann Wotruba – Senior Researcher, Expert in Metallurgy, University of Aachen, Germany.
Email: wotruba@amr.rwth-aachen.de
See Brief Bio |
Roberto Villas Boas – Senior Researcher, Centre for Mineral Technology, Brazil - http://www.cetem.gov.br
Email: villasboas@cetem.gov.br
See Brief Bio |
Christopher Sheldon- Communities and Small Scale Mining Initiative (CASM),
U.S.A.
Email csheldon@worldbank.org
See Brief Bio |
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FAIR TRADE ASM -AN ECONOMIC INCENTIVE |
Artisanal Small Scale Mining (ASM) and particularly ASM of gold and associated precious metals can be a unique opportunity to escape from rural poverty in areas of developing countries endowed with mineral resources.
Fair Trade is a trading partnership based on dialogue, transparency and respect that seeks greater equity in international trade. It contributes to sustainable development by offering better trading conditions to, and securing the rights of, marginalized producers and workers - especially in the south. Fair Trade organisations (backed by consumers) are engaged actively in supporting producers, awareness raising and in campaigning for changes in the rules and practice of conventional international trade  .
The application of FT principles and standards to ASM intends to support an enabling environment for miners and their families in order to help them:
> To escape the vicious circle of subsistence economy and gain access to education, healthcare, and sustainable human development:
> To benefit from better exchange terms through a fairer distribution of the value of a product between miners and the rest of the industry actors supply chain players;
> To enable miners and their organisations to gain better access to markets, and to help them to strengthen their position in the supply chain through stronger organisations, more direct selling relations, more information and knowledge of the business;
> To improve environmental, labour and social conditions that lead to enhanced quality of life
ASM producers who are interested in this new approach, will be committed to progressively complying with a series of social, economic, environmental and labour requirements. Fair Traders who want to trade in products with a Fair Trade label must also comply with a series of similar requirements. As in all certification schemes, organizations that seek to obtain certification, must follow a process and pay for the certification. Nevertheless, since this scheme is for small scale producers, it seeks to be sustainable and to offer a feasible opportunity to responsible ASM organizations. Organizations that comply with the standards receive a fair price for their product, and a Fair Trade premium on top of that for reinvestment in common interest projects.
> Fair Trade (FT) is a tool specifically developed for small scale producers, not for the large or medium scale industry. It therefore offers a differentiated niche in the market for the products of small scale and artisanal miners.
Considering that there is no globally accepted definition of artisanal and small scale mining (ASM), and that the definitions and forms of organisation may vary under different national legislations, ARM will use the following working definition for Fair Trade ASM organisations based on the idea of community mining:
“A community mining organization is comprised of a majority of members or shareholders who are active miners, and as members of the local community contribute to its social and economic development”. |
ARM will expand this definition in the future and adapt the standards to other kinds of ASM, including that done by small entrepreneurs with contracted workers.
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