The Challenge
Artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) provides livelihoods for many people in Honduras. The sector offers relatively good incomes for the men and women who work with rudimentary mining tools and techniques to extract minerals. However, ASM operations are often hazardous for miners and are associated with serious environmental and social challenges. The women working in this male-dominated sector face unique challenges that are often overlooked. The Honduran mining authority is working to address ASM challenges in many ways, including by supporting women’s participation and empowerment so they can realize the related economic opportunities in the sector.
Our Role
In 2024, Honduras requested the IGF’s support to help the country adopt a gender-sensitive approach to foster more inclusive and equitable practices in ASM. In response, the IGF engaged with the country’s mining authority, the Honduran Institute of Geology and Mining (INHGEOMIN, in Spanish), to develop and deliver a workshop for government officials and small-scale miners focused on building capacity to improve gender equality in the sector. The program was designed to provide a strong foundation on the key gender dimensions of ASM to support the work of officials in the .
The 3-day training program was comprised of interactive learning modules that focused on important issues for women in mining. The facilitators also incorporated illustrative case studies from peer countries with circumstances similar to Honduras. Participants included officials from mining, environmental, and women’s agencies; the presidency; representatives from mining organizations; and advocates for women in mining.
“The IGF helped us see the global perspective of how women across the world contribute significantly to the ASM sector. This strengthened our conviction that the challenges of women in ASM can and should be addressed in Honduras,” said Rosa Romero, Director, Gender Division, INHGEOMIN.
IGF workshop in Honduras in 2024
Our Impact
Just a few months after the IGF’s workshop, the government put the theory into practice by adopting a gender-sensitive approach in its outreach, education, and formalization activities with ASM workers.
Officials from the mining authority’s training, legal, and ASM units moved quickly to incorporate key concepts from the IGF workshop in several engagements with women in ASM, including teams extracting and commercializing building materials and gold in municipalities of Taulab, Talanga, and Quimistán. These programs have been enhanced by the IGF’s capacity building on important gender dimensions of ASM formalization; women’s participation and leadership; and occupational health and safety.
Women ASM workers like these at a government-led training in the municipality of Taulab are benefiting from a more gender-sensitive approach, following the IGF’s workshop. Credit: INHGEOMIN
The government’s ASM field activities continue to expand, with plans to reach a broader group of workers in 2025 through targeted outreach, training, and formalization initiatives in the ASM sector.
“We are committed to promoting gender equality in Honduras’s ASM sector. The IGF’s workshop has equipped officials with the knowledge to raise awareness in the field about the challenges faced by women in ASM.”
— Rosa Romero, Director, Gender Division, INHGEOMIN
Importantly, the workshop also motivated the government to sign an agreement with the Honduran Confederation of Cooperatives (CHC, in Spanish), which represents many ASM operators in the country. The agreement outlines how the mining authority will work with the CHC to provide ASM training and technical assistance, as well as support formalization with a gender-focused approach.
“The IGF’s work motivated the government to pursue and ultimately achieve this agreement with CHC in late 2024. We are now developing an action plan designed to improve ASM practices. By adopting a gender focus, we can make the sector a better place to work for both women and men alike,” said Romero.
Moreover, the IGF’s workshop in Honduras was the first of its kind in Central America, where many countries have significant ASM sectors. “I am hopeful that this impactful initiative will spread throughout the region to other nations facing very similar issues,” said Andrea Lemus Mesa, who facilitated the workshop and leads the IGF’s outreach in Latin America and the Caribbean.