December 2011
Following adoption of the OECD Due Diligence Guidance on Responsible Supply Chains of Minerals from Conflict-Affected and High-Risk Areas in May 2011, an OECD-hosted working group started developing a Supplement on Gold, one of several supplements on specific minerals which form an integral part of the guidance.
ASGM is the most economic vulnerable segment of the mining sector and the most exposed to armed groups or other kind of conflicts and abuses when they occur. In conflict areas, because of this vulnerability, this guidance has to be adapted to the specifics of AGSM in order to allow the sector to continue perform mining without being excluded from the formal gold supply chain.
PUBLIC CONSULTATION: The OECD is now inviting final comments on the draft final Supplement on Gold via an online public consultation.
We urgently invite all stakeholders : miners, governments, industry, consumers, donors and NGO to actively engage in the appendix 1 framework.
By not doing so, we bear the risk that this guidance will further marginalize ASM miners and increase their dependence to armed groups by excluding them from OECD market. We can not afford such consequence and it is our responsibility to create the conditions for the implementation of this guidance and the Supplement on Gold in combination with existing tools such as formalization and legalization guidance or certification schemes such as FT/FM.
In order for comments to be considered, they must be sent togro.d1778700385ceo@d1778700385ralli1778700385g.rel1778700385yt 1778700385 by 6pm CET on 13 January 2012. Comments received will be taken into account when finalising the text before submission to the OECD-hosted working group on gold for their endorsement in early 2012.
This public consultation is not intended for use as a forum for waging campaigns and self-promotion.