Guide IGF à l'intention des gouvernements : Gérer l'activité minière artisanale et à petite échelle

The "Guide IGF à l'intention des gouvernements : Gérer l'activité minière artisanale et à petite échelle," published by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) in January 2017, provides a structured, three-phase framework for governments to develop and implement strategies for managing artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM). The guide aims to integrate informal ASM into legal and economic systems while reducing social and environmental harms.

• The guide proposes a three-phase process for governments to manage ASM: Phase 1 (Starting), which involves forming a working group and analyzing the context; Phase 2 (Developing a Management Strategy), which focuses on creating a vision and identifying specific ASM types; and Phase 3 (Implementing the Management Strategy), which covers execution, monitoring, and evaluation.
• The Intergovernmental Forum (IGF) Mining Policy Framework identifies three primary goals for governing ASM to contribute to sustainable development: integrating informal activities into the legal system, integrating them into the official economic system, and reducing social and environmental impacts.
• Governments are advised to categorize ASM practices into three levels: 'unacceptable' (which must be illegal and potentially criminal, such as child labor or polluting water sources), 'bad' (which should be prohibited or phased out), and 'good' (which the government should encourage).
• The guide recommends that governments avoid a 'one-size-fits-all' strategy, instead organizing the national ASM sector into types based on product, scale, degree of mechanization, or geological setting (alluvial vs. hard rock) to apply tailored management responses.
• Management strategies for each ASM type should combine an 'economic approach' to unlock potential and an 'impact-based approach' to mitigate harms. Economic tools include land allocation, credit programs, and technical assistance, while impact-based tools focus on permits, regulation, and education.
• For impact management, the guide suggests a hierarchy of approaches based on government capacity: a permit-and-regulation approach is most recommended, followed by a combined approach (using regulated ASM zones or voluntary supply chain projects), and finally a 'best practices' approach based on education when regulation is not feasible.
• The guide details the use of state-sponsored buying schemes to incentivize compliance, where the government buys production at competitive prices from miners who adhere to regulations and undergo inspections.
• To prevent miners from seeking the 'wrong' permit to avoid strict regulations or access specific benefits, the guide suggests either balancing the costs and benefits across permit types or adding specific criteria (e.g., minimum production or worker numbers) that only the intended type of operation can meet.
• Cross-border cooperation is highlighted as essential to address issues like illegal chemical trafficking, smuggling, and transboundary pollution, suggesting mechanisms such as joint working groups, cooperation secretariats, or border zone secretariats.
• The guide emphasizes that law enforcement agents must adhere to human rights standards, specifically citing the Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights and the UN Basic Principles on the Use of Force and Firearms.

APA

Paget, D., Garrett, N., & Crawford, A. (2017). Guide IGF à l'intention des gouvernements : Gérer l'activité minière artisanale et à petite échelle. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/igf-guidance-for-governments-asm-fr.pdf

Chicago

Paget, Dan, Nicholas Garrett, and Alec Crawford. Guide IGF à l'intention des gouvernements : Gérer l'activité minière artisanale et à petite échelle. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2017. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/igf-guidance-for-governments-asm-fr.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Paget |first1=Dan |last2=Garrett |first2=Nicholas |last3=Crawford |first3=Alec |title=Guide IGF à l'intention des gouvernements : Gérer l'activité minière artisanale et à petite échelle |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=January 2017 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/igf-guidance-for-governments-asm-fr.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{paget2017guide, author = {Paget, Dan and Garrett, Nicholas and Crawford, Alec}, title = {{Guide IGF à l'intention des gouvernements : Gérer l'activité minière artisanale et à petite échelle}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2017}, month = jan, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/igf-guidance-for-governments-asm-fr.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }