EXPLOITATION MINIÈRE ARTISANALE ET À PETITE ÉCHELLE (EMAPE) ET COVID-19 : FAIRE FACE À LA PANDÉMIE

The document examines how COVID-19 disrupted the livelihoods of millions in the artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) sector, highlighting the failure of many governments to provide specific pandemic support and the negative impact of lockdowns on mineral supply chains. It notes that while the informal sector served as a critical economic safety net, the pandemic exacerbated gender inequalities. The briefing argues that the recovery phase offers an opportunity to 'build back better' through public-private cooperation to formalize the sector and establish trust between miners and government institutions.

• The artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) sector is characterized by massive scale and high levels of informality, with an estimated 40.5 million people directly engaged in the sector as of 2017 and approximately 80% of the total workforce operating informally.
• Government responses to the pandemic in the ASM sector have been limited; over half of the governments surveyed by the IGF reported an inability to provide specific pandemic-related support, and over 80% of ASM workers surveyed via the Delve initiative received no aid, such as masks or disinfectants.
• COVID-19 restrictions severely disrupted mineral supply chains and reduced miner incomes; for example, some artisanal gold producers saw site-level prices drop by 40% despite high global gold prices, leading to increased food insecurity.
• The pandemic exacerbated existing social inequalities, particularly affecting women in the ASM sector due to an increased burden of domestic tasks and childcare following school closures.
• Despite government restrictions, the informal ASM sector acted as a vital economic safety net for populations with few other employment options, though there has been a reported increase in illicit and illegal mining activities.
• The post-pandemic recovery presents an opportunity to formalize the ASM sector and build trust between miners and the state, provided that strategies rely on public-private cooperation to overcome resource constraints.

APA

Crawford, A., Lyster, O., & Rolfe, A. (2020). EXPLOITATION MINIÈRE ARTISANALE ET À PETITE ÉCHELLE (EMAPE) ET COVID-19 : FAIRE FACE À LA PANDÉMIE. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2020-11/artisanal-small-scale-mining-covid-fr.pdf

Chicago

Crawford, Alec, Olivia Lyster, and Adam Rolfe. EXPLOITATION MINIÈRE ARTISANALE ET À PETITE ÉCHELLE (EMAPE) ET COVID-19 : FAIRE FACE À LA PANDÉMIE. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2020. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2020-11/artisanal-small-scale-mining-covid-fr.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Crawford |first1=Alec |last2=Lyster |first2=Olivia |last3=Rolfe |first3=Adam |title=EXPLOITATION MINIÈRE ARTISANALE ET À PETITE ÉCHELLE (EMAPE) ET COVID-19 : FAIRE FACE À LA PANDÉMIE |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=November 2020 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2020-11/artisanal-small-scale-mining-covid-fr.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{crawford2020exploitation, author = {Crawford, Alec and Lyster, Olivia and Rolfe, Adam}, title = {{EXPLOITATION MINIÈRE ARTISANALE ET À PETITE ÉCHELLE (EMAPE) ET COVID-19 : FAIRE FACE À LA PANDÉMIE}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2020}, month = nov, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2020-11/artisanal-small-scale-mining-covid-fr.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }