Global Opportunities for Long-term Development of ASGM in Zambia To reduce the use of mercury in the ASGM sector in Zambia through a holistic, multisectoral integrated formalization approach and increased access to finance leading to the adoption of sustainable mercury-free technologies and access to traceable gold supply chains. Note: Disbursement data provided is cumulative and covers disbursement made by the project Agency. The implementation of the planetGOLD project will also contribute to the following socio-economic benefits:Sustainable livelihoods: Overall, the improved gold processing and enhanced formalization of the ASGM sector promoted by this project will serve as a vehicle of sustainable development: alleviating poverty, improving living conditions, and stimulating job creation. Indeed, gold capture and recovery will be enhanced which will eventually generate more income for mining communities. Throughout the project, ASGM miners will also gain better access to the formal market and will be able to sell their gold at a fair price. Promoting ASGM formalization will also lead to improved gold trade transparency on a national scale, contributing to the efforts towards eliminating gold smuggling, and increasing the opportunity for ASGM miners to access financial support, which is also expected to improve their livelihoods. It can also be expected that the formalization of the activity will have a spillover effect on other economic sectors as the increased incomes will be reinjected into the local economy. Lastly, as the government will obtain more revenue from the formal market taxes, more money will be available to finance development programs aiming at sustaining ASGM mining communities and livelihoods through education and health services, improved sanitation, or enhanced access to potable water. Improved economic status of homes will reduce child labour and illiteracy rates, as more children will be able to go to school. Moreover, there are expected to be multiple socio-economic benefits of healthy ecosystems due to reduced pollution of water and land from mercury, including for livelihoods dependent on agriculture and fisheries, amongst others.Improvement of health conditions: The improvement of mining practices and promotion of mercury-free technologies will reduce the direct exposure of ASM miners to mercury and its related compounds during gold processing. Awareness-raising campaigns on the dangers of mercury, developed within the framework of this planetGOLD project, are expected to further improve the appropriation of the techniques. In fact, the awareness-raising strategy is expected to change the behaviour of ASGM miners towards their mercury handling and use which will ultimately provide them with better working conditions, including vulnerable people.In addition, mercury-free technologies’ implementation is expected to decrease indirect exposure to mercury as it will dramatically reduce air, water, and soil contamination. This will maintain a decent natural environment including a sustained quality of water and food. Finally, better mining practices including forest smart mining initiatives will ensure that ASG miners reduce their environmental impacts. They will help preserve ecosystem services for the benefit of the surrounding communities by limiting deforestation or backfilling and restoring mined-out pits which will reduce, among other things, the incidence of water-borne diseases such as malaria.Gender equality: The project will include gender equality and women empowerment in a cross-cutting way across all components. All activities will be gender-sensitive and will be implemented, monitored and evaluated to equally benefit men and women. As a result of the gender assessment conducted during the PPG phase, gender mainstreaming will be included: (i) in local and mining cooperatives governance through the effective participation of women in decision-making; (ii) in capacity building through the consolidation of women economic activities along the supply chain; and (iii) initiatives aiming at expanding access to financial services which will improve economic empowerment. For this purpose, the gender approach will be integrated transversally among outputs and activities of all components.