“I’ve visited many artisanal and small-scale mining sites all over the world,” said international ASM expert Felix Hrushka.
“For the first time ever, I was given a security briefing on an ASM site. This happened during my recent trip to a site operated by XAMODX NGO in Bayankhongor province.”
International validation of Mongolia’s efforts in the ASM sector took place at the international ASM Knowledge Hub symposium on 10-11 June, 2015, in Ulaanbaatar, organised by the Ministry of Mining of Mongolia and Mineral Resource Authority of Mongolia in partnership with SDC’s Sustainable Artisanal Mining (SAM) Project.
More than 60 delegates from 18 countries representing small-scale miners, ASM civil society organisations, ASM and other development projects, governmental and non-governmental organizations, international ASM experts, academia and research institutions took part in the event.
Creation of Knowledge Hub
Based on the success of the formalisation of the ASM sector, Mongolia is taking an important role in establishing an international knowledge hub - a space for sharing and exchanging knowledge and feedback among national and international ASM communities and stakeholders.
The SAM Project is supporting the establishment of a knowledge hub within international ASM communities, believing it is important for Mongolia’s ASM organisations to be linked to their global partners in order to help further develop the sector.
“I believe we achieved our goal of identifying the key and interested players in the future knowledge-sharing network. We wanted to see what Mongolia’s ASM organisations would offer the global ASM community and gain from their partners worldwide,” said SAM Project Director Patience Singo.
“We succeeded in bringing together some of the world’s leading experts in the artisanal mining sector, and we exchanged a great deal of best practices and lessons learnt.”
One of the major achievements within the ASM sector in Mongolia has been the cooperation between the artisanal and small-scale miners and large-scale mining companies which has resulted in safe and legal workspaces for miners.
“In 2007, I had the opportunity to visit Mongolia’s artisanal mining sites. Back then, it was illegal and quite chaotic, and there was no legal framework to regulate the sector,” said African Mineral Development Centre advisor Salvador Mondlane.
“But I’m quite impressed with the work that has been done in formalising the sector. Mongolian artisanal miners are now legally recognised. I congratulate the Mongolian Government and ASM communities for their incredible partnership.”
