©ARM
August 10th of 2016
In the last 2 years, The Alliance for Responsible Mining (ARM) has decided to grow its portfolio services, offering its expertise to carry out consultancies aimed at the responsible development for the artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) sector. With over 10 years of experience in regions like Latin America and Africa where ASM takes place, we are pioneers in the responsible development of the sector.
In mid-August ARM will start with two new consultancies, one that provides technical assistance for conflict resolution through the program “Inclusive and Sustainable Communities in Latin America” (CISAL) and another one that supports the efforts of AVX Corporation to source Tantalum from Colombia without any links to the armed conflict. We are also currently completing the first phase of a research on the contribution of ASM in East Africa (Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda).
“Inclusive and Sustainable Communities in Latin America” – CISAL Program
ARM has been selected to provide technical assistance for conflict resolution in the municipality of Buriticá in Antioquia, Colombia. This region has been marked by intense social conflicts since the mining heyday in 2008. This consultancy is funded by the Canadian Federation of Municipalities through the “Inclusive and Sustainable Communities in Latin America” – CISAL Program.
The mission will focus on strengthening public institutions and local development in Buriticá, to contribute to building a strategy for conflict transformation and ensure the participation of the multiple actors involved. The municipal authority shall lead this process. Spaces for dialogue and consultation shall be created, with the purpose of clarifying roles and responsibilities in mining and managing its social and environmental effects.
“Solutions for hope” – Tantalum Project
Along with Resolve, an American NGO that promotes the strengthening of partnerships between public, private and civil society in order to find sustainable solutions to environmental, social or health challenges, ARM will offer its services to the AVX Corporation, a buyer of metals for the electronics industry, to analyze a Tantalum supply chain from an artisanal mining site in the province of Vichada in Colombia, in order to ensure that the mineral is not linked to the armed conflict in the country. This consultancy will take place via the platform “Solutions for Hope”.
“Understanding the economic contribution of ASM in East Africa” – East Africa Research Fund
Since May 2016, ARM has been working together with PACT, a development organization that supports artisanal miners around the world, in conducting a research on the economic contribution of the artisanal and small-scale mining sector in Uganda, Rwanda and Kenya. This research is funded by the Department for International Development (DFID) in the UK. The consultancy aims to maximize the potential of the sector to promote inclusive economic growth and poverty reduction.