Academic and research organizations Provide valuable information and conduct future research, including on effectiveness of measures taken to reduce or eliminate mercury use in ASGM Provide training opportunities from ASGM specialists Research and development of mercury-free methods professionals Understand national legislation as it relates to ASGM including relevant regulation on mercury use and trade regulation Representatives from scale mining Contribute to finding innovative solutions and provide insights on mining regulatory issues; potential partner with small-scale miners on technical improvements to mining practice Other relevant land holders Represent interest in land conflicts and in reclaiming impacted lands; risk of mercury exposure Police and Customs officials Understand role of enforcement Gold buying agents, gold traders, mercury traders Provide insight into market dynamics, and barriers to formalization Important focal point for community health and emissions Waste management specialists Provide insight into available mechanisms to handle mercury wastes generated by ASGM and how to clean/restore contaminated sites Private sector partner (e.g., large-scale mining company or equipment provider) Technical capacity Potential public/private partnership Financial/banking sector Small and commercial-sized loans to miners to assist with financing transition towards better practices Development organizations, including international NGOs, UN agencies, and bilateral aid agencies May provide assistance with health, safety, environmental, business development or other aspects. Media and communication groups Can bring in effective communication strategies and approaches at advisory level Women’s interest groups Issues unique to women miners Specific impact of mercury on women and children
prohibit the use of mercury from primary mining and excess mercury from the decommissioned chlor-alkali plants in ASGM. Strategies will also need to take into account domestic laws and the informed consent trade provisions of Article 3. 5.6 (b) Strategies for managing trade C Paragraph 1(f) requires that the NAP must contain strategies for managing trade. When countries are developing their trade strategies, they may wish to consider the following questions: What procedures are needed to ensure that the intended use of imported mercury is documented, tracked and verified? Has the exporter indicated to the country of import that the mercury is not from a prohibited source? What evaluation criteria and procedures should be used to evaluate whether mercury imports for use in ASGM should be allowed Article 3 consent provisions? The evaluation procedures should include mechanisms for determining whether the imports are consistent with Article 7, the NAP measures and targets, as well as mechanisms for ensuring that the imports do not originate from prohibited supply sources. what circumstances will mercury import consent be granted or denied? As a first step, countries may consider setting up a special working group of the relevant authorities (environment, trade, mining, commerce, and customs, and local authorities, for example) that will be involved in implementing the strategies. To develop strategies, countries may consider the following steps: Reviewing domestic laws and regulations regarding mercury, including its domestic use and treatment, as well as its internationally. This review will identify inconsistencies or gaps with the Convention and any other relevant international environmental agreements. Inventorying “pressure points” or other factors that will affect mercury trade. These could include other existing domestic uses for mercury supply, such as use of dental amalgam, or manufacture of other mercury containing products such as certain lamps, which could affect the need for trade. Other pressure points could include decommissioning of chlor-alkali plants or active primary mining in the region, as these are mercury supplies that should be monitored carefully to ensure they do not enter ASGM. Researching volumes and pathways of mercury trade flows across borders and within the country’s territory. Countries may consult the United Nations Statistical Division – Commercial Trade, otherwise known as COMTRADE, which maintains an online data base, for basic data on trade flows. Using the commodity code for mercury (280540) and other relevant codes, data on large mercury exporters and mercury flows to the region can be obtained. For a particular country it may be useful to compare the COMTRADE data listing
ANNEX 4: Sample Format for Workplan, Budget and Timeline ASGM NATIONAL ACTION PLAN OBJECTIVE 1: ACTIVITIES PRIOIRTY (high, medium, low) FUNDING SOURCE(S) LEAD AGENCY ACTIVITY COST (US$) TIMELINE INDICATORS Internal External In-Kind Total Y1 Y2 Y3