Among others, the conference will address issues on sustainable development for mineral and energy industries, health hazard and safety issues in small-scale mining, emerging technologies for environmental protection, mine site closure and rehabilitation, tailings treatment and, recycle and disposal.

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The Yaoundé conference will bring together the many actors involved and the interested public with the aim of promoting a strategy of sustainable, transparent economic management and good governance of mineral resources in central Africa.

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CASM is a global networking and coordination facility with a stated mission “to reduce poverty by improving the environmental, social and economic performance of artisanal and small-scale mining in developing countries.” Further information will be available soon on CASM website.

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The International Conference on Mercury as a Global Pollutant (ICMGP), held periodically for over 18 years, has become the pre-eminent international forum for formal presentation and discussion of scientific advances concerning environmental mercury. This year’s event has a unique approach to mercury issue as an ecosystem problem including topics from several areas of knowledge and on the field challenges.

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The Ministry of Science, Technology and Environment of the Republic of Cuba invites researchers, professionals, educators, specialists, managers, entrepreneurs and other interested individuals from around the world, to participate in the Seventh International Convention on Environment and Development under the slogan "Train to Save the Planet" which will take place between 6th and July 10th of 2009, at the Convention Center,  Havana.

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Green Gold Exhibition @ London Jewellery Week
A Candescent Project exhibition, ‘Green Gold’ profiles Oro Verde® (Green Gold), the first organisation to certify responsibly mined, ASM metals. Oro Verde ® is based in the verdant, rainforest region of Chocó in Colombia and works with mining families to ensure that working practices are fair and environmentally friendly, with miners receiving a premium for the ‘green’ gold which is re-invested back into the community and a method of extracting the gold that does not involve the use of mercury and cyanide.

See the pictures of Green Gold

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9th International Conference on Mercury as a Global Pollutant ; a conference where the mercury concerns of the developed and developing worlds

The public health problems that developing countries are now facing regarding mercury exposure, as a sole actor or in combination with other environmental toxicants, outweigh those posed earlier to developed nations. To date, however, most studies regarding mercury cycling in the environment and its health impacts have been conducted in the developed world. The 9th ICMGP will thus present a timely opp ortunity to stimulate and universalize the scientific studies on mercury as a global pollutant.

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International Conference on Sustainable Mining    

The International Conference on Sustainable Mining offers a forum for dialogue, debate and exchange of experiences in the subject of sustainable development applied to extractive activities. Participating as chief lecturers are Professor Roberto Villas-Boas of the technical committee of ARM Standard Zero and Daniel Lafuente (Sajama Summit), coordinator of the pilot project of ARM in Bolivia.  Inscriptions for lectures are open until March 16, 2009.

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The Overarching Framework of the UNEP Global Mercury Partnership establishes a Partnership Advisory Group to encourage the work of the partnership areas. The first meeting of the Partnership Advisory Group will discuss the overall progress on the reduction of mercury emissions from coal partnership area, mercury in products, mercury air transport and fate research, mercury in artisanal and small-scale gold mining, and mercury waste management. ARM´s executive director is part of this Advisory Group, as part of ARM´s partnership strategy around key environmental issues in responsible ASM.

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This conference will provide an opportunity for leading jewelry industry stakeholders to discuss and learn about Fair Trade Jewelry opportunities and recent initiatives. It will also provide an opportunity for members of the Fair Trade community to learn more about the jewelry industry and opportunities for cooperation with the private sector. The conference is free and open to everyone with limited seats. Members of the jewelry trade and fair trade communities are encouraged to attend.

Topics at the conference will include:

•  Fair Trade Jewelry Initiatives

•  What is and what is not Fair Trade Jewelry

•  The  role of the private sector

•  What's in a name: Charitable, Conflict Free, Ethical, Fair Trade, Fair Made, Development Jewelry

•  Sourcing and Marketing Fair Trade Jewelry

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Fair Trade Federation Conference 2009


In its 15th anniversary, the Fairtrade Federation (FTF) will gather readers and experts in the area of fair trade to hold conferences and practical trainings. Among others, there will be seminars on the construction of fair trade organizations, on brand management, and socialization rounds among producers and other interested stakeholders.

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Workshop on Women, Geosciences and Society under the Third Convention of Earth Sciences (Geosciences 2009)

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TransFair USA and The Tiffany & Co. Foundation are inviting to the release of The Feasibility Study for Fair Trade Diamonds. Mining and jewelry industry leaders, NGOs, and international development experts will gather as they explore how Fair Trade Certification alleviates poverty and creates market opportunities. Learn how to work together to make Fair Trade Certified TM diamonds a reality for miners and consumers worldwide.

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Workshop on Gender & Mining

The workshop will bring together researchers and representatives from industry, government and NGOs to explore and analyse a range of interconnected questions and issues with implications for future research and policy making. Such questions include, what is the case for gender mainstreaming in the mining sector? What is the relationship and significance of gender equity to sustainable development or sustainable livelihoods? What role might governments play in supporting gender mainstreaming in the mining sector? What changes in policy or practice can be expected to arise from the growing interest in gender equity and mainstreaming within the mining industry, and can initiatives taken in one corporate, political or cultural context be applied to other contexts?

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See more about the Resource Management
in Asia-Pacific

International Seminar: “Using mercury - appropriate amalgamation technologies, preventive  medicine and occupational health care for the small scale gold mining industry” / “Tecnologías apropiadas de amalgamación y procedimientos médicos preventivos y de salud ocupacional en el manejo del mercurio en la minería del oro en pequeña escala”

Intended participants: Experienced professionals and recent graduates in the mining industry, environmentalists, representatives of the public and private sectors, health-care professionals and students of geology, mining, environmental studies and other related disciplines.

Information and registration:
Escuela Superior Politécnica del Litoral- ESPOL
Facultad de Ingeniería en Ciencias de la Tierra (FICT)
[the Faculty of Earth Sciences Engineering of the Polytechnic of the Litoral]
Tel.: (04) 2269481/400/401, Fax: (04) 2852697
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www.seminariohg.espol.edu.ec

International Conference on Mining and Sustainable Development in Africa.

The aim of this international conference and is to bring together stakeholders affected by environmental and social issues linked to the development of the mining sector in order to take account of all dimensions of sustainable development. The conference should help participants to increase their knowledge of social and environmental governance tools, particularly environmental impact assessment methods, issues associated with the mining sector and means for achieving sustainable development. This will give the attendees the opportunity to meet and share and compare experiences, and together propose solutions to environmental issues in the mining sector.

The conference will be followed by a thematic workshop on regional environmental economics and sustainable land management (soil and water). To be held by the Secrétariat international francophone pour l’évaluation environnementale (SIFÉE) (International Francophone Secretariat for Environmental Assessment) and the CÉRE Centre d’Étude et de Recherche en Environnement (CÉRE) (Environmental Studies and Research Centre), University of Conakry at Conakry, Guinea (Africa), June 15–20, 2008.

SOCIAL MINING FORUM

The Social Mining Forum brought together 350 plus individuals from different regions of Colombia including peasants, members of indigenous groups, Afro-Colombians, representatives of community organisations and associations, environmentalists and other regionally-based organisations and groups. The Forum aimed to:

- provide information about policies, plans and future prospects for mining in the different regions of Colombia

- examine the situation in different parts of the country where local communities are experiencing the impact of large-scale mining projects that pay no regard to their socio-cultural, economic and ecological circumstances and potential.

- Facilitate the exchange of experiences between communities affected by mining-related conflict and foster social cohesion.

Full program in Spanish PDF

The Non-Ferrous Metals Bottom-Up Approach to Climate Change Workshop

Organised by the Resource Efficiency Alliance (REA) in cooperation with Eurometaux, Alcoa and Hydro the workshop presented business excellence cases of sustainable use and management of natural resources and highlighted the challenges faced by industry towards more sustainability. It aims to develop a strategic multistakeholder alliance and an action plan to advance the principles of metals sustainable properties in the EU.  ARM was invited to participate in the session on Metals Extraction and Fair Trade.

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ARM presentation by Mr. Patrick Schein.

Regional Gold Mining Workshop
WWF GUIANAS REGIONAL PROJECT OFFICE
Improve management of the goldmining sector

Second regional workshop on standard zero pilot projects in Latin America - Lima, 23-30 April 2008

The 2nd Regional Workshop on Standard Zero for Fair Trade Gold and Associated Silver and Platinum for the Latin American pilot projects is being held in Lima from 23 to 30 April 2008.  The first three days will focus on capacity-building for producers and support organisations, including sessions devoted to:

• Progress reports on the various individual pilot projects in Ecuador, Perú, Bolivia and Colombia
• Analysis and feedback from working groups on the practical application of the Baseline Assessment and Cost of Production Tools for Fair Trade Gold (facilitated by Félix Hruschka)
• Capacity-building for Quality Management and Assurance in the individual pilot project producer groups (led by AMICHOCO)
• Workshop on Risk Analysis and Conflict Management in the Value Chain (conducted by Prodiálogo).

PUBLIC MEETING AT THE PERUVIAN NATIONAL CONGRESS:
FAIR TRADE IN ARTISANAL AND SMALL SCALE MINING (ASM)

Friday 25 April, 9:00 a.m., in the Sala José Inclán.

Red Social and AMASUC, members of ARM's pilot project network, have organised a public meeting at the Peruvian National Congress on Fair Trade in Artisanal and Small Scale Mining (ASM).

See programme (pdf)

FLO / ARM / FTF MEETING
On 26 April board members and senior officers of FLO (the international Fairtrade Labelling Organisation) and senior officers of ARM will hold a joint meeting with the members of the Latin American pilot projects network.  This is part of the decision-making process in which FLO, FTF (Fairtrade Foundation, United Kingdom) and ARM are discussing their roles in developing a system of fair trade for minerals produced by small producers.

EXCHANGE OF EXPERIENCES WITH MINERS FROM THE SUR MEDIO REGION OF PERÚ

All the participants, including FLO and FTF representatives, will visit the three community mining companies AURELSA (Relave), MACDESA (Cuatro Horas) and SOTRAMI (Santa Filomena) where they will have the opportunity to learn at first hand about the achievements and current circumstances of the artisanal mining sector in Perú's Sur Medio region and to share information, experiences and ideas about the companies' mining activities and the pioneering venture in which they are involved.

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The Association for Responsible Mining, ARM, participates in the prestigious Pedro Nel Gómez Lectures of the National University of Colombia this year dedicated to Mining in Colombia.  Cristina Echavarría delivered two lectures: Mining, what for? and Responsible Artisanal and Small Scale Mining (ASM).  Lina Villa from the Green Gold Corporation a lecture on Oro Verde.  The Cycle of lectures features a series of distinguished speakers and will last until April 29th.

Lectures take place on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. in the Gerardo Molina Library Auditorium of the Nacional University of Colombia in Medellín.

First European Fair Trade Fair.

Whether sceptical, interested or convinced, come to gather information, exchange and debate on Fair Trade, which will be held from February 1st thru 3rd of 2008 in Lyon, France. On the programme its a panel of 200 exhibitors from all over Europe with cosmetics, textiles, food, handicrafts, design products; development organisations, actors of awareness raising, education and lobby: Exhibitors Gallery a programme with conferences and activities, for a better understanding of Fair Trade. Also, programmed activities for families and kids, it is never too early to learn about Fair Trade!

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Regional multistakeholder meeting of ASM in Peru creates task force on ASM

A regional meeting to discuss artisanal mining was organized by the Regional Government of Arequipa, the Environment Independent Authority (WEAPON), the Regional Advisor of the regions of Caraveli, Islay, Condesuyos, the Municipal mayors of Caraveli, Chala, Cahaparra, Quicacha, Huanu Huanu, Acari and the the artisanal miners of Quicacha, SOMINSA, Atico, Cuatro Horas, la Españolita, Mollehuaca, AMASUC, and a women miners representative. The main challenges facing artisanal miners were discussed, including formalization,  the eradication of quimbaletes from mining villages , use of mercury, access to electric power, and health and education. A task group was formed to initiate actions.

Photo: Quimbaletes are an ancient Inca system to mill the mineral and amalgamate gold with mercury

Launch Forum of the International RUMYS Initiatives

 The University of Nariño, COLCIENCIAS the CYTED Programme and the Association for Responsible Mining are pleased to invite you to the Launch Forum of the International “Iberoamerican mineral routes and land use plans: An integrated factor for sustainable development of society (RUMYS)” international initiatives and “Fairtrade gold in Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia”. To be held in San Juan de Pasto, Colombia, January 29th of 2008.

Download Informative Document

More Information on RUMYS:
http://www.rumys.espol.edu.ec


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