© ARM
November 19th 2014
This year, our traditional workshop for the Latin American ASM network was the result of joint efforts and collaboration between the Alliance for Responsible Mining, SENA Huila (a public institution that offers technical capacity-building services throughout Colombia) and the recently Fairmined certified Cooperative of Iquira.
Held in the premises of the Industry, Enterprise and Services Center of SENA Huila, the workshop delivered a series ofcapacity-building sessions –organized hand in hand by ARM and SENA Huila- that focused on: Technologies for the Progressive Reduction of Mercury Use; Industrial Safety in Gold Operations; and Commercialization of Fairmined Gold.
Also, in order to share the best practices that earned them the Fairmined Certification, members and employees of the Iquira Cooperative guided the participants through a detailed tour of their plants and mines.
Well noted throughout the event, local media coverage of the workshop also contributed to the support and promotion of the Fairmined Certification of Huila’s mining organization as a regional achievement, therefore now recognizing their region as a producer of gold to be proud of.
Closing with the Peruvian experiences of AURELSA and SOTRAMI, the workshop results clearly demonstrated that through civil society + public institutions + community + media collaboration we can move forward together towards the transformation of ASM into a socially and environmentally responsible activity that supports the development of the local and regional community.
The event was part of the project “Strengthening incentives for formalization and improved environmental and social performance in Artisanal and Small-scale Mining in Bolivia, Colombia and Peru”, which is primarily funded by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB-MIF), Fondo Acción, Fundación Ayuda and Chopard. It was held from the 11th to the 14th of November in Neiva, Colombia. Participants, that were estimated to be between 50 to75, included miners from the LAC region; partner organizations; US jewelers; and SENA´s own technical trainers.