Paraguay is a country with a recent development of the mining-extractive industry. The activity began to strengthen with the arrival of foreign investment during the 1990s. The country’s gold mining sector is concentrated mainly in the Paso Yobai district, located in the Guairá department. The artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASM) sector has excellent economic and social development potential for the country. However, it is essential to keep in mind that there are some problems associated with the use of substances that are toxic to the environment and harmful to the health of communities, among the challenges to transforming the sector towards responsible ASM.

The planetGOLD program, funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF), works in partnership with governments, the private sector, and artisanal and small-scale mining communities to significantly improve the production practices and working environment of artisanal and small-scale miners. By working to close the funding gap, supporting formalization, raising awareness, and connecting mining communities to mercury-free technology and formal markets, the program aims to demonstrate a pathway to cleaner and more efficient small-scale gold mining practices that benefit everyone from mine to market.

Implement the activities for elaborating the Approval Package for the project “Global Opportunities for the long-term development of the Artisanal and Small-scale Gold Mining (ASM) sector in Paraguay – planetGOLD Paraguay.”

Community of artisanal and small-scale miners of Paraguay, located in the municipality of Paso Yobai. It is also expected that through this process, regulatory and technical guidelines will be generated to advance the mining formalization process in the country and improve Paraguay’s social, economic and environmental development.

Preparation and delivery of the Approval Package for the project “Global opportunities for the long-term development of the Artisanal and Small-scale Gold Mining (ASM) sector in Paraguay – planetGOLD Paraguay.” Once the package is delivered, it is expected to be approved and proceed to the implementation phase in the following months.