© ARM
July 11th of 2014
On July 5, 2014, the Alliance for Responsible Mining proudly accredited the first group of 25 Fairmined trainers.
With the goal of creating and strengthening a network of trainers that promote the adoption of sustainable methods in artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM), the ASGM Training Center seeks to improve local organizations’ ability to support the sector’s formalization and facilitate the miners’ access to better opportunities through responsible social, environmental, and labor practices.
The Fairmined training session took place the week of June 30 through July 5, 2014, in Medellín, Colombia, and included participants from Colombia, Bolivia, Honduras and Peru representing organizations such as Red Social, Cumbre del Sajama, ASOMIRCOL, SONAMIPE, SOLIDARIDAD, and ARM; other attendees represented noteworthy Colombian projects and programs such as Somos Tesoro and BIOREDD+. Trainers participated in Fairmined Standard-based workshops directed by experts distinguished for their work in the ASGM sector. Among the experts were Cristina Echavarría (Fairmined Certification System) and Erwin Wolff (Environmental Management) of Colombia, Cesar Mosquera (Decent Work, Jobsite Health and Safety) of Peru, and Gabriela Barriga (Methodologies with a Participative Focus) of Bolivia.
Although this session was the ASGM Training Center’s first training program of its kind, the Alliance for Responsible Mining expects this learning experience can be shared and reproduced in the near future.
“The fact that this training center is a network is one of its greatest strengths, because the exchange of experiences amongst miners and amongst countries is very important. We need to be able to educate trainers who understand this cultural diversity and the diversity that characterizes the ASM sector; we need trainers that know and understand mining and the mentality of the small-scale miners and that truly work to improve these fundamental aspects related to compliance with the Fairmined standard and the legislative process for the sector’s formalization.” –Cristina Echavarría, international ASM expert and ARM Executive Board member.
This training session was part of the project “Strengthening incentives for formalization and improved environmental and social performance in Artisanal and Small-scale Mining,” principally financed by the Inter-American Development Bank – Multilateral Investment Fund (IDB-MIF).