- This milestone was accomplished thanks to the pilot implementation of the Harmonized Due Diligence Tool, which integrates the CRAFT Code and the C.I. Anexpo commercialization model.
- This export brings an advance in the access to formal, international supply chains for artisanal men and women miners, and Afrodescendents.
Photo credits: Fundación Atabaque52 groups of artisanal miners from the Department of Chocó, Colombia, out of the 95 supported by the project, managed to export 33 kilos of gold to the Swiss refinery Valcambi, implementing the Harmonized Due Diligence Tool and complying with the good mining practices criteria, legitimacy, respect for Human Rights, environmental protection, and safe and formal labor. Additionally, they were trained on organizational, environmental, and occupational health and safety issues.
This export was possible thanks to the Raíces Doradas (Golden Roots) Project, led by la empresa y comercializadora C.I. Anexpo, (C.I. Anexpo Trading Company), and the participation of Fundación Atabaque and Alliance for Responsible Mining, and funded by the European Partnership for Responsible Minerals.
“From Anexpo, we continue strengthening our supply chain and supporting formalization and banking processes currently in progress, along with the institutionality for the mining sector, which is why all projects that contribute to enhance the supply chain of commercialization and due diligence, fulfilling the requirements of international markets, are welcome.” Says Luis Fernando Ossa, C.I. Anexpo Strategic Director.
The project aims to encourage a wider access to formal markets for artisanal miners, complying with all international requirements and guaranteeing the protection of Human Rights to improve the life quality of over 150 men and women miners in the municipalities of Condoto, Quibdó, and Istmina, in the department of Chocó. In order to achieve that, The Harmonized Due Diligence Tool was created and implemented to identify the main risks in each link of the supply chain and take proper actions to mitigate them.
Isabel Cristina Blandón Jaramillo, Chief Executive of Fundación Atabaque, said about it: “The implementation of a Harmonized Due Diligence Tool is, without a doubt, an essential move for ASM in Colombia. Once the implementation was performed with an in-place-based methodology, this means, that criteria, methodologies and tools at hand, were designed and adapted considering the dynamics of mining activity in Chocó, their particular needs, particular aspects and challenges.
Raíces Doradas (Golden Roots) leaves for us a great path to keep on strengthening and improving so more Due Diligence processes in ASM and its supply chains become feasible and applicable.”
95 work groups of artisanal men and women miners, along with local institutional actors, were trained and received support to make progress on mining formality and regulation, occupational health and safety, respect for Human Rights, responsible use, care and protection of the environment, identification and prevention of financial crimes, gender equality and participation of women on incidence spaces and decision-making.
All those facts made an improvement on their mining practices, the construction and strengthening of territory governance, and the connection with international markets for the commercialization of precious metals.
“The implementation of CRAFT Code brings a progressive advance to artisanal and small-scale miners in the compliance with Due Diligence international requirements.
Golden Roots is a successful case which shows that its implementation contributes to respond to international expectation, to make that due diligence responsibilities are distributed among the chain actors; to improve life conditions and quality of artisanal miners, who are the most vulnerable; and to highlight the continuous need to offer local and national institutional services to facilitate formalization, formal gold commercialization, and the implementation of the OCDE Guidance,” says Natalia Uribe, Standards and Insurance Manager of Alliance for Responsible Mining.
This milestone sets a precedent to continue working in hand to hand with public and private institutions for the formalization of the artisanal and small-scale mining sector and facilitate its access to formal markets in Colombia and the rest of the world. Besides, it makes an addition to the advances in formalization and banking processes led by the National Mining Agency.
The results of Golden Roots Project will be socialized in an event held on March, 2022. It will be a chance to know the Harmonized Due Diligence Tool, replicate this success case, and continue to strengthen formal chain supplies with metals from artisanal and small-scale mining.