GEF GOLD+: Global coordination, knowledge management and outreach The project aims to support the deepening of mercury reduction in artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM), holistic formalization of the sector and scaling up of successful interventions through sharing of technical information, outreach to relevant stakeholders, knowledge exchange and communication strategies. Note: Disbursement data provided is cumulative and covers disbursement made by the project Agency. The Global Child project will generate socio-economic benefits through increased knowledge which will lead to improved outcomes in:?Income and livelihood security of ASGM communities:This project supports ASGM formalization that will result in more efficient gold processing, improved productivity and higher incomes for miners which will produce cascading benefits for mining communities.This will include opportunities for improved food security for miners and local host communities. Through formalization and the associated increased knowledge, it can be expected that miners’ capacity to invest in more sustainable livelihoods will be increased.In the country child projects increased formalization will result in higher revenues for governments to invest in social services for the broader populace. In Bolivia, for example, where it is estimated that formalization covers only 40% of ASGM activities, incorporating the remaining 60% would contribute to a significant increase in government revenue.In Congo, the proposed introduction of a mobile application which will facilitate access to market prices and information, as a means to ensure a fairer distribution of benefits in the supply chain, would have an immediate impact of increased incomes for miners which could then in turn produce better livelihood outcomes.?Health of local populations including women and vulnerable peoples:The formalization of the ASGM sector and the increased application of mercury free gold production methods will lead to a reduction in mercury emissions and releases.The use of better practices and better handling of mercury means that less people will be exposed to mercury and its negative impacts, resulting in less mercury contamination of the environment and lower and less harmful levels of mercury entering our food chains. Improved mining practices will also improve the quality and in certain instances quantity of water, therefore host communities will have access to cleaner water. It is also expected that there will be a reduction in waterborne diseases, as miners will backfill mined out pits due to formalization efforts and better practices.Efforts to reduce mercury are specifically important for countries like Ghana and Uganda where the high levels of methylmercury threaten food security, the fish analysed as part of Uganda’s NAP showed that mercury levels far exceeded the FAO’s guidelines, other staple foods such as cassava and yams also presented elevated mercury levels. The impact of mercury can transcend borders and can adversely impact the food and water security of an entire region therefore reducing mercury releases that might cause exposure or poisoning can improve the health of communities.The proposed Bolivia child project aims to derive systemic change from the multi-stakeholder approach that is inherent in the JA, and the inclusivity of the approach which will result in better protection of women and other vulnerable groups from the negative impacts?Biodiversity and climate security:The Global Child Project employs a holistic integrated approach to formalization, by supporting JA/LA approaches there will be concomitant benefits to the whole ecosystem.Responsible ASGM will reduce mercury use, and its corresponding emissions and releases, generating better outcomes for the natural environment. Formalization will create better resourced mining communities, making them more resilient to the impacts of climate change.?Gender awareness: The global project will implement a gender mainstreaming plan ensuring knowledge products and communication materials are gender sensitive and do not exacerbate existing gender in-equalities amongst project beneficiaries.Table9: Socio-economic benefits by country projectSocio-economic benefits – Highlights by Country ProjectBoliviaThe baseline data indicates that the extraction of gold using mercury is highly inefficient, particularly the high mercury to gold ratios imply that money is being lost in mercury overuse. Application of innovative approaches to gold extraction, supported and promoted through the Global Child Project, will lead to more efficient extraction processes, leading to better profits and higher incomes. Less money spent on mercury by miners will also mean that more of the economic value of ASGM accrues to local communities.CongoThrough knowledge promoted by this Global Child Project it can be expected that there will be improved practices and a move towards cleaner gold production. The reduction of mercury emissions and releases will result in reduced contamination of Congo forests and less mercury entering the food chain. This can be expected to lead to reduced negative impacts of mercury on the artisanal mining communities in the Congo, in particular, better health outcomes. The reduction of releases into the environment will also better protect the forest-based livelihoods in the Congo. In addition, more efficient gold extraction that will be promoted by the Global Child Project will lead to increased incomes for ASGM communities in the Congo.GhanaIt can be expected that the Ghanaian ASGM communities will benefit from the project through the improved incomes that will be made possible from applying the more efficient mercury gold processing technologies that will be promoted by the project. Since the Volta River Basin is transnational, communities in other countries that ate downstream of the ASGM activities can be expected to benefit from improved health outcomes that will result from the application of these innovative mercury-free technologies.HondurasThe formalization that will be promoted and supported by the Global Child Project as a core driver of reduction in mercury emissions and releases by the ASGM community in Honduras can be expected to lead better protection of biodiversity. This can be expected to lead to positive socioeconomic impacts on the people of Honduras, particularly the communities who live near these hotspots. As a nation, Honduras can be expected benefit from improved resilience to climate change impacts by improving the protection of mangroves from environmentally destructive ASGM activities as mangroves help to reduce the impacts of high-water inundations. The protection of these mangroves may also have livelihood impacts as they are known to be breeding areas for some of the marine life that is a food source for nearby communities.MadagascarIt can be expected that the Global Child project will benefit Madagascar through the improved environmental management that will result from the formalization that will be promoted alongside mercury-free innovations. The reduction in wetland destruction that will result from better knowledge disseminated by this Global Child Project will mean a better environment for the communities near these wetlands. Livelihood opportunities associated with these protected areas including tourism will be one of the socioeconomic benefits for the communities.NigeriaSome of the states where ASGM takes place in Nigeria are water scarce. As such, the proved operating practices that will result from the innovative mercury-free processes disseminated by this Global Child Project, may lead to improved conservation of water through practices like water recycling. Another benefit of the improved mining practices promoted by the Global Child Project will be a reduction in the fatalities of artisanal miners, which is a significant problem in Nigeria.SurinameThe large number of people employed in the ASGM sector in Suriname can be expected to benefit economically from the efficient operations resulting from the better processing practices promoted by this Global Child Project. This can also be expected to lead to better quality jobs for these workers and a reduction in one of the worst forms of child labour (child labour in mining). Keeping children out of mining sites will result in better life outcomes for them with respect to health and education. The dissemination of good gender equality practices will also lead to better outcomes for the many women known to work in the ASGM sector in Suriname.UgandaThis Global Child Project can be expected to support a reduction in mercury emissions releases from the ASGM sector in Uganda which is known to be the largest contributor of mercury contamination. This project will disseminate knowledge on mercury-free gold extraction methods, leading to mercury pollution reductions, not only in the specific sites covered by this country child project, but also through replication in other areas not directly targeted under this programme. The reduction in releases resulting from the work of this Global Child Project will mean that freshwater systems and large water bodies like the Lake Victoria will have less contamination, and hence reduction in mercury entering the food chain through fish.Cote d’IvoireThe rapid expansion of the ASGM sector in Cote d’Ivoire has been accompanied by an increase in the use of mercury for gold extraction. This Global Child Project will therefore benefit Cote d’Ivoire by disseminating knowledge that supports cleaner production in this expanding sector. It may be expected that the use of mercury in ASGM may not be as entrenched as the countries where it has been prevalent for longer, hence the knowledge on good practices disseminated through this project may have an easier path to adoption.EcuadorThis Global Child Project can be expected to result in socioeconomic benefits for Ecuador, through better environmental management promoted through dissemination of appropriate knowledge. Downstream livelihoods can be expected to improve as a result. The reduction in transboundary pollution may also lead to a reduction in disputes over the issue with neighbouring Peru, as well benefiting the environment and health of the populace in that country.GuineaThe ASGM sector in Guinea employs more than 240,000 miners. The improved practices that will result from the knowledge disseminated by this project will lead to improvement in the lives of these miners. The formalization which will be promoted together with improved gold extraction processes will result in better jobs for these miners, dissemination of this knowledge may lead to replication in Guinea and also in neighbouring countries of the Mano River Union (Liberia and Sierra Leone). This may also lead to reduction in the cross border illicit trade of gold which can also lead to improved economic benefits for the countries.Another aspect that may benefit from the formalization that will be supported by the dissemination of knowledge is the relations between large-scale miners and the ASGM sector. The improved practices may be fertile ground for better relations between the two subsectors, and even collaboration.MaliThis Global Child Project can be expected to benefit Mali through promoting improved practices that will result in better socioeconomic impacts for all artisanal miners including the large number of women involved. The dissemination of knowledge on the mercury-free gold extraction innovative approaches guided by a gender mainstreaming plan can be expected to lead to improved equality on how both women and men benefit. This gender equality approach will also be reflected in the coordination and monitoring efforts of this Global Child Project leading to better socioeconomic development outcomes for women. These will include women not being disproportionately exposed to mercury, and as consequence of this, a reduction in the number of children exposed to mercury and other mine site hazards.NicaraguaThis Global Child Project will be disseminating knowledge on improved ASGM practices that will support transformation of the ASGM sector in Nicaragua. With a gold mining sector that relies on ASGM to contribute more than 50% of national production, the positive impacts of a transformed ASM sector will have far reaching positive economic benefits for Nicaragua. The nationwide change in ASGM practices from the country child project, will be possible through replication supported and promoted by the dissemination of knowledge on improved ASGM operating practices. The coordination and monitoring efforts driven by this Global Child Project can be expected to support the Nicaragua country child projects reach its targets of mercury reduction through transformation of its ASGM sector.Sierra LeoneThis Global Child Project will result in socioeconomic benefits for Sierra Leone through positive impacts of knowledge that will be disseminated. The improved ASM practices that will be implemented as a result, will demonstrate the importance of the gold sector which has been overshadowed by the diamond sector. The positive image that will be promoted via the communication efforts of this Global Child Project will support some of the responsible supply chain initiatives being considered for the ASGM sector in Liberia (e.g., the replication and adoption of the De Beers GEMFAIR concept originally implemented in the artisanal diamond sector).This Global Child Project can also be expected to support the transboundary socioeconomic impacts of the Sierra Leone country child project. This is particularly important from the Mano River Union perspective, where transboundary illicit trade in gold (and diamonds) has presented many developmental challenges.ZambiaThe emerging ASGM sector in Zambia (after decades of a mining sector dominated by copper) will be supported by the Global Child Project to prevent it from following the bad example of mercury pollution disasters seen the ASGM sectors in countries where it has existed for a long time. The knowledge shared on good ASGM practices and mercury free gold extraction, will help the country child project support clean production of gold as the formal ASGM sector grows. This will reduce the entrenchment of bad ASGM practices, leading to socioeconomic benefits for the actors in the sector, e.g., better incomes, improved health outcomes and gender equality. Dissemination of knowledge on ASGM formalization models by the Global Child Project will support the Zambian country project to develop its ASGM sector for better mineral linkages, contributing to economic transformation of rural communities. It will also lead to improved revenue capture for the government for social programs.