Funding Opportunities – Development Beyond Conflict

HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES

Artisanal and Small-scale Mining (ASM) in central Africa has, for years, been an arena in which human rights abuses have been perpetuated against the men, women and children who survive through the hard labour of extracting, transporting, processing and trading of minerals. The Dodd Frank Act and the OECD’s Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Supply Chains seek to remove such…

WOMEN IN MINING

Women constitute a significant proportion of the mining sector across the Great Lakes Region (GLR) yet they face often significant discrimination and risk in many areas. They often receive low pay for their work. Very frequently women are excluded from any form of training and therefore end up relegated to menial and lower-paid tasks. Women are often expected to combine…

STRENGTHENING ORGANISATIONAL CAPACITY

Artisanal and Small-scale Mining (ASM) in the Great Lakes Region (GLR) often suffers from poor levels of organization, representation and institutional capacity. Artisanal miners are required to be organized into cooperatives however these often end up being business units or groups of traders with little actual representation of the miners themselves in any decision-making processes…

CHILD LABOUR

The OECD’s Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Supply Chains recommends that companies sourcing from conflict-affected and high-risk areas should have strong policies in place including a model supply chain policy seeking to avoid the worst forms of child labour. The internationally recognized definition of ILO Convention No. 182, which is also enshrined in national law in the countries of the…

HEALTH AND SAFETY

Artisanal and Small-scale Mining (ASM) mining involves the manual extraction of minerals using rudimentary tools and techniques. It is often carried out on an informal basis with little geological knowledge and scant attention paid to mine management or health and safety. ASM mines often present a wide range of physical hazards to workers which compromise their safety and wellbeing. ASM…

PRODUCTIVITY AND EFFICIENCY

Artisanal and Small-scale Mining (ASM) is frequently inefficient in terms of its identification, exploitation, management, and processing of mineral resources. ASM is often carried out with little geological knowledge and prospection may be based on factors such as evidence of historical workings, chance discoveries of minerals…

ECONOMIC STRENGTHENING

Artisanal and Small-scale Mining (ASM) is a hugely important livelihood for tens of thousands of people in the Great Lakes Region (GLR) who produce minerals by hand, using rudimentary tools, in remote sites. However, the potential for ASM to deliver long term value to the miners and surrounding communities is currently unfulfilled. Minerals deliver immediate value to miners when traded…