Different local and regional actors from Suárez (Cauca, Colombia) and La Llanada (Nariño, Colombia) involved in artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) have been gathering since 2017 to define a shared vision for ASM and to see how the territories can be developed in a sustainable way.
The members of what is known in the municipalities as the Local Management Committees are miners, government entities, institutions and other important organizations in the field.
The Management Committees are a tool developed by the Alliance for Responsible Mining (ARM) to promote dialogue between different territory actors in mining areas. The dialogue seeks to facilitate the joint creation and agreement of shared visions around ASM in the territory to promote the its sustainable development through concrete actions and commitments.
At the Management Committee meetings in May 2018 participants reflected on the question: “Ideally, how would you like to develop artisanal and small-scale mining in your municipality?” Together they came up with the following shared goals for their municipalities:
Suárez: Responsible Mining and Opportunities:
Our ideal vision of artisanal and small-scale mining in Suárez is to be able to perform sustainable and responsible mining that receives institutional support.
Coodmilla, La Llanada:
“The small-scale mining organization Coodmilla LTD, will be a formal mining company in every aspect, with a full knowledge of its mineral deposits and with high production and compliance standards, achieved through technological innovation. Our actions are always socially responsible, generating new employment sources on a regional level. We reduce the environmental impact by using cleaner technologies and support the education, leisure activities and health of our region.”
Departing from this vision, participants identified the current weaknesses and threats that prevent the community from achieving responsible mining, as well as the opportunities and strengths to address them. Based on these reflections, short-term action plans have been designed to help make the vision of these territories a reality.
The activities proposed in this plan include joint efforts to raise awareness on responsible mining in the community.
The establishment of these Local Management Committees was possible thanks to the financial aid of the Ford Foundation as part of the “Responsible artisanal and small-scale mining laboratories: Dialogue for Action” project implemented by the Alliance for Responsible Mining in Colombia and Peru.