FIRST MEETING OF THE SPECIALIZED GROUP
ON ILLEGAL MINING OF THE ACTO MEMBER COUNTRIES
Meeting Minutes
Pursuant to the mandate of the XII Meeting of Foreign Ministers held in El Coca in May 2013, in the
city of Lima, Peru, from October 29 - 30, 2013, Government Representatives of Bolivia, Brazil,
Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Suriname and Venezuela participated in the First Meeting of the Group on
Illegal Mining Member Countries of ACTO. The list of participants is attached as Annex 1.
1. The meeting objectives were:
-
Join efforts to control illegal mining by developing a specific strategic agenda to
promote mutual cooperation and exchange of experiences.
-
A Working Group dedicated to develop a common strategy on illegal mining in the
Amazon and propose necessary cooperation mechanisms.
The meeting was conducted according to the approved agenda, see attached as Annex 2.
2. Mr. Manuel Pulgar-Vidal, Environmental Minister, opened the event by giving a warm
welcoming to the delegates. Among the issues, he discussed to address the problem of illegal
mining are: i) regional approach, ii) practices of illegal mining, iii) regulation problems; and iv)
control strategies.
The Minister also discussed about the different ways Peru is taking action and the challenges
facing to find a solution to this problem, and the government's role in promoting responsible
alternative activities.
3. General Daniel Urresti, of the High Commission of Affairs for the Formalization of Mining,
illegal mining prohibition and environmental remediation of the Presidency of the Council of
Ministers of Peru –PCM, talked about the social and political sensitivity of the base supporting
system in the creation of this position, and the organization and coordination of the activities of
various sectors related to the issue of illegal mining.
4. Ambassador Julio Garro, General Director for Multilateral and Global Affairs of Ministry of
Foreign Affairs of Peru also welcomed the delegates. He talked about the importance assigned
by the State to combat illegal mining as a regional and neighboring problem in the region; and
that the actions implemented with Bolivia, Ecuador, Colombia and Brazil are not only bilaterally,
but they cover a wide spectrum of activities. He also suggested to the PS / ACTO to support the
fight against illegal mining in the regional area.
5. Ambassador Mauricio Dorfler, PS / ACTO Executive Director, greet the Peruvian Government
and the member countries delegations. He highlighted the work and support of the Environment
and Foreign Affairs Ministries in this field. Thus, he discussed how illegal mining is a problem
that encompasses the environmental, economic, social and health; and also considered the
inclusion of other aspects related to information exchange and illegal mining experience,
including aspects such as the development of technologies and knowledge.
Agenda Development: Presentations
6. The Executive Director of the PS / ACTO, Ambassador Mauricio Dorfler, spoke about the
institutional context of the organization, the status of implementation of the Strategic Agenda for
Amazonian Cooperation (AECA) and the scope of the issue of illegal mining in the context of
AECA. His presentation illustrated the institutional process of the Organization, as well as the
background for this regional meeting. He also spoke about the guidance received both in the
Lima Declaration of the Environment Ministers and El Coca in May 2013 who unanimously
agreed the signing of the Annex to the Lima Declaration of March 21, 2012 on Illegal Mining in
the Amazon Basin; and the XII Meeting of Foreign Ministers of ACTO held in May 2013. He
also reported the issue of mercury and illegal mining in the Amazon region, and the actions
developed through projects on human health.
All presentations are attached as Annex 3 and handed to participants in a flash drive.
7. Each representative of the Member Countries of Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and
Suriname made thematic presentations. Venezuela made an intervention on the exchange of
information and experiences on environmental impacts, relevant national policies and initiatives,
lessons learned and good practices related to the prohibition and control of illegal mining. Also,
the Suriname delegation spoke about the formalization and/or legalization of unsustainable
small-scale mining into sustainable small-scale mining. Several relevant aspects about illegal
mining activity, pollution and mercury involvement in environmental and human health were
also discussed. The Peruvian delegation presented a working paper on "Alluvial and Illegal Gold
Mining in the Amazon Basin: Towards a joint roadmap within ACTO."
8. There were 2 workshops as follows: A: Prohibition of illegal mining; and B: Addressing
environmental and human health. This proposal was approved after issues on table discussions
were agreed and is attached as Annex 4.
Proposals and Recommendations.
i.
The specialized Working Group shared national experiences such as initial exchange to
develop a specific common strategy proposal on illegal mining in the Amazon with
possible cooperation mechanisms required to make the strategy effective;
ii.
Agreement on the need to join efforts and comprehensive actions against illegal mining
in the Amazon;
iii.
It was clear that although there exists an heterogeneity in terms of organization and
development of illegal mining among the countries of the Amazon basin, many impacts
of the activity do cross borders. The continuation of the ecological sustainability of
aquatic ecosystems into the Amazon forest causes an exchange of the active citizen from
the different countries in the different border areas, where the States should enforce and
strengthen their presence. This fact generates dynamics that facilitate the organization of
multinational criminal organizations that are a threat to the conservation and sustainable
development of the Amazon;
iv.
All agreed that, in all the Amazon countries, illegal mining produces ecological impacts
such as water pollution and degradation of forests, soils and aquatic ecosystems;
economic impacts of illegal activities at the border areas, tax evasion, smuggling,
corruption, money laundering and losses to agriculture, tourism and fishing, and social
impacts linked to damage to human health and safety, child trafficking, spontaneous
migration, effect of indigenous territories and the social fabric;
v.
All recognized the national efforts made by the ACTO Member Countries in their fight
against illegal mining and in this context, they took note of the results and challenges of
the current formalization and prohibition strategy developed by the Peruvian
Government;
vi.
It is recommended that the initial elements need to be considered for the establishment of
a roadmap to address this problem jointly in the Amazon.
vii.
A common strategy will be developed that should include, among other things, the
following possible initial activities, which must be systematized and supported by the PS
/ ACTO:
a. Formalization and/or legalization of informal or illegal miners in the Exchange of:
i.
relevant legislation of each Member Country;
ii.
information on environmental standards;
iii. Information on appropriate technologies for extraction and processing of
gold, with special focus on reducing emissions and releases of mercury;
b. On remediation and repair of environmental damage issues, the development of:
i.
coordinated programs and operations in border areas, evaluation,
monitoring and treatment of human populations exposed to mercury and
other heavy metals;
ii.
joint operations programs and applied research, monitoring and evaluation
of the environmental impacts of illegal mining in the Amazon Basin and
remediation studies and reparation of the environmental damage,
especially with regard to the ecology of mercury and other heavy metals,
the effect on ecosystems water and biodiversity, and the remediation and
restoration of environmental damage, restoration and rehabilitation of
degraded terrestrial ecosystems by illegal mining.
iii.
joint protocols and coordinated protection operations of natural protected
border areas;
c. on issues of vulnerable local populations, especially traditional peoples and
indigenous peoples of the Amazon, the development of:
i.
joint protocols and coordinated operations to protect these population.
All participants agreed on the importance of ACTO Permanent Secretariat support on national efforts,
including the implementation of regional diagnostic studies, attract and disseminate appropriate
technologies and collect information on best practices.
The participating delegations agreed to be informed of the PS / ACTO report on the results of this
meeting to Guyana, and set a deadline of November 18, 2013 to submit their views and comments about
these resolutions and recommendations, so that they can be discussed on the next session of the Amazon
Cooperation Council ( CEC ).
Finally, they all thanked the Government of Peru, the PS / ACTO and the Amazon Regional Program for
the organization and hospitality demonstrated in this meeting.
Lima, October 30, 2013
Annex 1.
LIST OF PARTICIPANTS
Annex 2.
AGENDA
Annex 3.
PRESENTATIONS (pendrive)
Annex 4.
RECOMMENDATIONS FROM WORK TABLES
ANNEX 2
AGENDA
FIRST DAY: OCTOBER 29. State of the Issue: National Reporting on Illegal
Mining at the Amazon Territories (Official Presentations by the Countries)
8:30-9:00 am
Registration of the Attendees
9:00-9:45 am
Opening of the Event:
- Minister of the Environment, Manuel Pulgar-Vidal
- Permanent Secretariat/ACTO
- Authorities of the Government of Peru
- Presentation of the aims of the meeting, and background info:
SP/ACTO
SECTION A
Presentations by Member Countries (Environmental Impacts;
Relevant National Policies and Initiatives; Lessons Learned
and Good Practices)
10:00-10:30 am
Presentation by Bolivia
10:35 – 10:50 am
Coffee-Break
11:00-11:30 am
Presentation by Brazil
11:35 am-12:15 pm
Presentation by Colombia
12:20-12:50 pm
Presentation by Ecuador
1:00 – 2:30 pm
Lunch
2:30-3:00 pm
Presentation by Guyana
3:00-3:30 pm
Presentation by Peru
3:30-4:00 pm
Presentation by Suriname
4:00-4:15 pm
Coffee-Break
4:15-4:45 pm
Presentation by Venezuela
4:45-5:45 pm
Dialogue on the presented issues
6:00 pm
Closing of the first day
SECOND DAY: OCTOBER 30. Environmental Impacts of Illegal Mining at the
Amazon Basin
SECTION B
Presentations by Experts and Dialogues in Plenary Session
9:00-10:30 am
Environmental impacts at the Amazon Basin.
Dr. Michael Goulding. Wildlife Conservation Society.
10:35-10:50 am
Coffee-Break
11:00 am-12:30 pm
Presence of mercury in fish and people, control recommendations.
Dr. Luis E. Fernandez, Carnegie Institution for Science, Department of Global
Ecology, Stanford University.
1:00-2:30 pm
SECTION C
2:30-4:00 pm
Lunch
Cooperation at the ACTO level to ban illegal mining. Organized by
Worktables
Worktable A: Banning illegal mining.
Worktable B: Attention to the environmental impacts.
4:00-4:15 pm
Coffee-Break
4:15-5:15 pm
Presentation of the conclusions of the Worktables and Plenary Session for the
Establishment of Agreements in an Agenda of Collaboration.
5:15-6:15 pm
Memory of the Meeting
6:30 pm
Closing
ANNEX 4
I SPECIAL MEETING AND ILLEGAL MINING OF THE ACTO MEMBER COUNTRIES
WORKING TABLES RECOMMENDATIONS
ACTIONS (PROPOSALS)
RESPONSIBLE
SECTORAL AND
COUNTY/
CONTACT
FINANCING
SUPPORT
AGENCY
DATES AND REPORT
ILLEGAL MINING PROHIBITIONS
1. As a regulatory treatment unique for each ACTO
Member on illegal mining is in place overseeing the
social and economic diversity, we see the need to
establish cooperation mechanisms. To this end, a
workshop is organized for exchanging information and
experiences related to the implementation of
legislation for the effective interdiction operations
during the first half of 2014.
2. Propose that the Illegal Mining Specialist Group of the
ACTO Member Countries promote a glossary of terms
to facilitate a common language on illegal mining.
- Define legal categories.
3.
MRE Identifies
relevant Focal
Points and
forward
information to a
SP/ACTO
PM submit legislation to
SP/ACTO no later than
November 30, 2013
MRE
Colombia
provides base
reference
November 5, 2013
Propose mechanisms for cooperation between MRE
national authorities for interdiction joint actions related
to the illegal mining in bordering areas and the
exchange of experiences on this matter.
ENVIROMENT THEMES AND HUMAN HEALTHCARE
SP/ACTO systematization
ACTIONS (PROPOSALS)
1.
Virtual Meeting Information Exchange on the
establishment of restricted or prohibited zones, and
areas zoning for mining in the Amazon Basin, according
to the legislation in each country: Standards and
practical experience
Implementation of an information system regarding
the presence of mercury in Amazonian environments
- Exchange of database on the results of existing
studies
System monitoring the effects of mercury on human
health in the Amazon Basin
-
Development of a unified protocol for risk
assessment , based on the WHO protocol
Incorporate alert system;
Strengthen laboratory diagnostic capacity and
health personnel, by training human (health
personnel and laboratory ) using processes such as
RESPONSIBLE
SECTORAL AND
COUNTY/
CONTACT
Environmental ,
Energy and
Mining; Planning
and indigenous
people,
Ministries,
whichever is
applicable
FOCAL POINT:
Colombia
(Nohora
Ordóñez)
Environmental
Ministries
FOCAL POINTS:
MINAM Perú and
ACTO
Environmental
Coordination
Health ministries
(delegations
should contact
their national
sectors)
FOCAL POINTS:
IBAMA (Brasil) –
Health (Br) –
FINANCING
No necessary
SUPPORT
AGENCY
ATCO
DATES AND REPORT
Colombia will submit to ACTO
A simple proposal for the
webinar on November 12,
2013
ACTO will set up the
teleconference at the end of
January 2014.
EXPECTED OUTPUT:
Comparative matrix
TO BE DEFINED
AT A LATER DATE
TO BE DEFINED
AT A LATER DATE
ACTO
Carnegie
Institution
for Science
1st week November 2013:
Triangulation IBAMA-HealthACTO to define guidelines
(concept points) and
proposed timeline, which will
be consulted with the other
countries.
1st week November 2013:
Triangulation IBAMA-HealthACTO to define guidelines
(concept points) and
proposed timeline, to be
discussed with the other
countries.
ACTIONS (PROPOSALS)
telemedicine; and the general population through
IEC procedures, which countries have already
developed such the new SARAR mercury;
-
Strengthen the institutional capacity, through the
formulation / implementation / monitoring systems
adaptation, a process that began with the Scientific
Technical Cooperation Treaty of Brazil Colombia and
Bolivia. Hence, the proposed guidelines and
protocols originated from this treaty; and the OPAS
REDVIGMER (which we support );
-
Development and support agreements between
countries to monitor and control potential sources
of contamination that could be a risk to human
populations (encompassing the proposed projects
for health and water): Determine points of
contamination, natural hot spots, risk areas and
exposed populations.
RESPONSIBLE
SECTORAL AND
COUNTY/
CONTACT
ACTO Health
Coordination
(Antonio
Restrepo)
FINANCING
SUPPORT
AGENCY
DATES AND REPORT