COLOMBIA

ANTIOQUIA

344

Direct participants

in the municipalities of Segovia, Remedios, El Bagre and Zaragoza in Antioquia and in the municipalities of Paipa, Mongua, Sogamoso, Gámeza and Tópaga in Boyacá. The project aimed to eliminate child labor through a four-component initiative: educational opportunities, livelihoods, mining formalization and public policies.

In Antioquia as well as in some areas of Bolivar, the Pilares project was also implemented to improve the capacity of civil society to understand the need for acceptable working conditions in the artisanal and small-scale gold mining sector.

In addition, we have continued to support formalization as the market entry for artisanal and small-scale miners by using the CRAFT Code.

We have been also supporting the Fairmined-certified La Unión mining organization in Antioquia. Learn about the achievements and history of La Unión mining organization.

Donors

  • USDOL, SHRIM

Partners

  • Universidad Nacional de Colombia y AGA

General objectives

  • Eliminating child labor in artisanal and small-scale mining communities.
  • Improving civil society’s capacity to understand and address the elimination of child labor, raise awareness against violations of acceptable working conditions and implement initiatives to reduce them.
  • Managing the participation of public and private entities for the continuity and progress of Somos Tesoro’s initiatives.
  • Promoting acceptable working conditions in the artisanal and small-scale gold mining sector.
  • Continuing to formalize the market entry of artisanal and small-scale miners using the CRAFT Code and supporting future Fairmined certification processes.

Sustainable Development Goals we support in the Department of Antioquia:

  • An intervention was made in La María SAS mining organization to implement a pilot application of the CRAFT Code - Passport to Formal Markets so that the organization moved forward on the road to responsible mining and its future Fairmined certification.
  • Labor-related workshops have been held in the Pilares project in El Bagre and Zaragoza municipalities.
  • Organizational support and information collection at La Maria mining organization have been carried out to start preparing its business plan.
  • Internal rules and other labor strengthening aspects have been reviewed together with La Gabriela mining organization.

  • 8 gap analyses were applied to find out what challenges La María S.A.S. small-scale mining organization had to tackle. We also elaborated together with miners the plans for mining practice improvement based on the CRAFT and Fairmined standard requirements.
  • We made the first approach to the mining units in the first phase of the Somos Tesoro project. Three mining units are interested in participating in the second phase of Somos Tesoro.
  • We supported three mining organizations in making technical recommendations, environmental management and guidance organization to promote compliance with legal and fair mining requirements.
  • Mine safety signs have been improved in three mining organizations. They were also advised on occupational health and safety at the workplace.
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  • We have supported improvement plans, especially for gold commercialization issues, in three mining organizations.
  • We have advised two mining organizations to create and implement formats for mineral traceability, which have made possible to register traceability.
  • Certified gold from La Union mining organization was firstly bought by an international gold trading company in Antioquia.

  • Participants from El Bagre, Zaragoza, Remedios and Segovia attended the national workshop held in Medellin in December 2019.
  • Men and women miners and actors related to artisanal and small-scale mining shared their experiences on Fairmined standard practices in certified mining organizations in Íquira, Huila.

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