THE Global Environment Facility (GEF) will finance a $180-million program to help reduce the use of mercury in artisanal gold mining in eight countries worldwide, including the Philippines.
In a statement, the United Nations Environment Program (Unep) said the five-year program will be done in coordination with the governments of Burkina Faso, Colombia, Guyana, Indonesia, Kenya, Mongolia, the Philippines and Peru.
Unep said the program will also introduce and facilitate access to mercury-free extraction methods. The program will also work with governments to formalize the sector, promoting miners rights, safety and access to markets.
“By phasing out mercury use and connecting miners to markets for responsibly produced and sourced minerals, GEF GOLD will help to ensure the gold value chain both supports miners and provides consumers with access to ethically produced, environmentally sustainable gold,” said Jacob Duer, head of the UN Environment Chemicals and Health branch.
“Promoting and facilitating access to non-mercury processing techniques for artisanal and small-scale miners is vital—not only to reduce mercury emissions but to protect the health of vulnerable communities.”
Every year, over 2,700 tones of gold is mined around the world and 20 percent or over 500 tones annually is produced by artisanal and small-scale miners.
Unep said that as many as 15 million people work in the artisanal and small-scale gold mining sector globally, including 4.5 million women and over 600,000 children. These “miners operate on the edges of legality in many countries,” as ASGM is banned or limited by legislation and licensing procedures.
The UN agency said these miners and processors, the majority of them in developing countries, work in often harsh conditions, without the protection of industry regulations on pay, health or safety, to sate the global hunger for gold, for jewelery, investment and consumer products.
Unep said studies indicate that mercury exposure in artisanal and small-scale miners is a major, largely neglected global health problem. It places miners and their communities at risk of permanent brain damage, vision and hearing loss, and delayed childhood development.
“Mercury emissions impact health and ecosystems, contaminating the food we eat, the water we drink and the air we breathe. This is a long-term problem we need to confront now. Joint initiatives like GEF GOLD demonstrate that when we unite for environmental action, we can protect community health, provide livelihood to those most in need and save the planet,” Joyce Msuya, acting executive director, UN Environment, said.