Resources

The Responsible Artisanal Gold Solutions Forum has developed the following resources for informational purposes.

Responsible Artisanal Gold Solutions Forum Overview

July 30, 2019

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Provides an overview of the Forum, including its objectives and participants.

The Forum has three main goals:

• Assess, design, and implement pilot supply chain(s) from Eastern DRC to a participating refiner, allowing downstream manufacturers, retailers, and other end users to include this artisanal gold as part of a range of responsible sources for their products.

 

• Support technical and policy coordination with partners who manage and implement sourcing projects, policies, guidance, and standards, to align Forum work with existing projects and systems and to mitigate risks that are likely to arise in sourcing efforts.

 

• Promote shared learning and broader engagement of industry, government, and civil society in support of scaling up responsible artisanal gold trade in the GLR.

 

Journey of Gold

September 14, 2018

Film Website

Film Trailer

In the spring of 2018, the Forum produced “The Journey of Gold”, a Virtual Reality experience exploring Nyamurhale, an artisanal gold mine in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The film was released on Discovery VR on September 14, 2018. Viewers can experience how artisanal gold is produced, and meet the miners and cooperative leaders who are working to produce legal, safe, and conflict-free gold which is compliant with international standards and guidance. To watch the film, please visit:www.journeyofgold.org

 

Artisanal Gold Due Diligence Toolkit: Supply Chain Evaluation and Know-Your-Counterparty Templates

April 19, 2018

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This toolkit was developed by the Responsible Artisanal Gold Solutions Forum to supportimplementationof due diligence for the artisanal gold sector. This toolkit was primarily designed as a template for refiners or other downstream buyers in their foundational and ongoing supply chainduediligence assessment for potential artisanal sources. It may also be useful for upstream buyers (to understand the due diligence process and international expectations); other downstream minerals users (to engage with suppliers on due diligence and opportunities for artisanal gold sources); assurance systems (to consider how practices and protocols can enable artisanal sourcing); and independent monitors or other local partners (to design frameworks or systems).The toolkit is based on international guidance and standards such as the OECD Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Supply Chains of Minerals from Conflict-Affected and High-Risk Areas (OECD DDG) and the London Bullion Market Association Good Delivery Responsible Gold Guidance. It was informed by work in the Democratic Republic of Congo but designed for global applicability.

 

Joint Press Release: RAGS Forum Announces First Conflict-Free Supply Chain from DR Congo Artisanal Gold Mine to Retail in USA

October 24, 2018

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Announces four October 2018 RAGS Forum milestones, including:

• First supply chain designed to source conflict-free artisanal gold from the DRC by U.S.-listed companies since enactment of the Dodd-Frank Act, section 1502, demonstrating the ability to comply with reporting requirements while sourcing from the DRC and African Great Lakes Region.

 

• First traced artisanal gold sourced from the DRC to be refined by a London Bullion Market Association (LBMA) “Good Delivery” certified refinery, demonstrating the effectiveness of due diligence systems and that responsible, international companies can engage in the region.

 

• First conflict-free, artisanal gold conforming to international due diligence standards (OECD, LBMA) to be exported from DRC to a U.S. jeweler, demonstrating that companies can support economic development in the conflict-affected region while avoiding illicit trade.

 

• First mine site and exporter to pilot the DRC’s traceability system (Initiative de Traçabilité de l’Or d’Exploitation Artisanale), demonstrating DRC government commitment to responsible artisanal gold.

Year 2 Lessons Learned

July 31, 2019

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Builds off of the insights captured in Year 1 of the Forum, focusing on lessons learned from year 2. Highlights include:

 

• Building the business case for cooperatives

 

• Cultivating responsible exporters and viable financial models

 

• Due diligence in action: balancing the risk equation for downstream companies

 

• Building momentum and bridging gaps to get to scale

 

Year 1 Lessons Learned

May 18, 2017

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Captures insights from the Forum and its members' first year, with a focus on two pilots in the Democratic Republic of Congo (Capacity Building for Responsible Minerals Trade (CBRMT), operated by Tetra Tech; Partnership Africa Canada's (now IMPACT) Just Gold pilot project. Highlights include:

• How to define and distinguish between "responsible gold" and "responsible sourcing"

 

• The need to adapt industrial-gold-oriented know-your-counterparty questionnaires to the artisanal sector

 

• The need for partners to seek to develop sustainable and commercially viable models

 

• Establishing common definitions and clarity on finance components and needs

 

• Demonstrating that mine-to-end-user supply chains are possible with collaboration and shared responsibility for due diligence

 

• Building responsible artisanal gold supply chains requires not just a list of expectations but engagement and capacity building with miners, traders, exporters, communities, and government.

 

USAID Responsible Mineral Trade Program in DRC (Video)

November 13, 2018

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Learn More at USAID's Land Links Blog

The USAID funded Capacity Building for Responsible Minerals Trade Project helped establish and scale up responsible mineral supply chains in DRC. This project uses a market-based approach to break the link between conflict and the gold trade. This film tells the story of how USAID, along with RAGS Forum partners, are working to develop a commercially viable, conflict-free supply chain for artisanal minerals from the DRC.

For more information, please contact RESOLVE.