Guyana is one of eight gold-producing countries that will be partnering with several international agencies in a new US$180 million Global Environment Facility (GEF) – backed initiative targeting the long-term development of the artisanal and small-scale gold – mining (ASGM) sector and aimed at improving conditions for miners while slashing harmful mercury emissions.
The other participating countries are Burkina Faso, Colombia, Indonesia, Kenya, Mongolia, the Philippines and Peru.
The five-year programme will also embrace additional partners, including the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), Conservation Inter-national (CI) and the private sector, in an initiative which a Monday, February 18 news story said is aimed at promoting “compliance with international standards on responsible mineral supply chains.”