The artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) sector produces 20% of the world’s newly mined gold and supports over 15 million livelihoods. However, over 80% of the sector operates informally, outside legal frameworks. In many regions, informal ASGM is linked to illicit and illegal actors. Following recent increases in production and prices, there is now an estimated USD 50 billion in annual global illicit gold flows.
Join us to explore the urgent need to address these illicit activities and gold flows by adopting best practices, forming successful partnerships, and identifying actionable steps to unlock ASGM’s full potential through collective action and responsible integration into global supply chains. The half-day program will include keynotes, presentations, and a roundtable discussion on how to propel effective cooperation to support responsible and sustainable ASGM and urgently combat illegal and illicit flows.
It will be held during the 2025 Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada convention in Toronto and features voices from government, industry, regional, and international organizations. It is co-organized by the Intergovernmental Forum on Mining, Minerals, Metals and Sustainable Development, the World Bank, and the World Gold Council.
Details
- Date: Sunday, March 2, 2025
- Breakfast and registration: 8:30-9:00 am
- Event time: 9:00 am-12:00 pm
- Languages: English, French, and Spanish (with interpretation)
- Click here to register
Agenda
Time | Activity |
| 8:30-9:00 | BREAKFAST & REGISTRATION |
| 9:00-9:25 | OPENING Welcome Remarks
Keynote | The Importance of Combatting Illicit Activities in ASGM: A Brazilian Perspective
Scene Setting | What Can We Achieve through New and Closer Collaboration on ASGM?
|
| SESSION 1: RECOGNIZING THE URGENCY OF ASGM CHALLENGES | |
| 9:25-9:55 | Presentation | The Global Problem: Enhancing International Cooperation
Presentation | A Regional Approach to Combatting Illicit Flows
Q&A |
| 9:55-10:10 | Break |
| SESSION 2: PROMOTING RESPONSIBLE AND SUSTAINABLE MINING AND SUPPLY CHAINS | |
| 10:10-10:50 | Keynote | Building a Responsible and Sustainable ASM Sector: The Chilean experience
Following the keynote, gold stakeholders will share ideas about how to contribute to a solution before opening a roundtable discussion about the potential for collaboration. Presentation | How Can Central Banks Be Part of The Solution Through Their Purchasing Programs?
Presentation | How Processing Plants Can Contribute to Responsible and Sustainable ASGM
Presentation | What Is the Role of Large-Scale Industry in Creating Good Cooperation with ASGM?
Presentation | Transforming ASGM: Progress in Formalization and Professionalization
|
| 10:50-11:50 | Roundtable Discussion | Partnering for Progress: What would a coalition approach look like in support of responsible and sustainable ASGM? |
| 11:50-12:00 | Concluding Remarks
|