IGF Guidance for Governments: Managing Artisanal and Small-scale Mining (ASM)

The document outlines a three-phase framework for governments to manage artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM). Phase 1 focuses on preparation, including forming a multi-ministry task force, establishing stakeholder forums, and conducting context analysis. Phase 2 involves creating a vision and a tailored management strategy that categorizes ASM operations by type and prioritizes them based on impact. Phase 3 details the implementation process, including the creation of implementation plans, the deployment of specific support and regulatory measures, and the establishment of monitoring and evaluation systems.

• The first phase of ASM management requires the establishment of an internal government champion and a multi-sectoral task force comprising representatives from ministries such as mining, land, finance, environment, planning, water, and labour to coordinate the strategy.
• Effective strategy development depends on a substantive, ongoing, and inclusive consultation process with all affected stakeholder groups to ensure the resulting policies are legitimate and high-quality.
• Governments are advised to avoid a one-size-fits-all approach by dividing the ASM sector into types based on commodity, scale, degree of mechanization, or whether they are alluvial or hard rock, and then prioritizing these based on the government's ability to affect net impacts.
• A comprehensive ASM Management Strategy must include both an economics approach to realize the sector's economic potential and an impact approach to mitigate negative effects through licensing, regulation, and the promotion of good practices.
• Implementation of the strategy may involve a wide range of state interventions, including state-sponsored buying schemes, the provision of infrastructure (water, sanitation, electricity), access to credit, and the sponsorship of clean processing plants.

APA

Crawford, A. (2014). IGF Guidance for Governments: Managing Artisanal and Small-scale Mining (ASM). International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/igf-guidance-for-governments-asm-brief-en.pdf

Chicago

Crawford, Alec. IGF Guidance for Governments: Managing Artisanal and Small-scale Mining (ASM). International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2014. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/igf-guidance-for-governments-asm-brief-en.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Crawford |first1=Alec |title=IGF Guidance for Governments: Managing Artisanal and Small-scale Mining (ASM) |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=2014 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/igf-guidance-for-governments-asm-brief-en.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{crawford2014igf, author = {Crawford, Alec}, title = {{IGF Guidance for Governments: Managing Artisanal and Small-scale Mining (ASM)}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2014}, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/igf-guidance-for-governments-asm-brief-en.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }