Supported by the Global Environment Facility, planetGOLD is led by the United Nations Environment Programme and implemented in partnership with the United Nations Industrial Development OrganizationUnited Nations Development Programme, and Conservation International.

The planetGOLD programme works in partnership with governments, the private sector, and ASGM communities in nine countries to significantly improve the production practices and work environment of artisanal and small-scale miners. By working to close the financing gap, supporting formalizationraising awareness, and connecting mining communities with mercury-free technology and formal markets, the programme aims to demonstrate a pathway to cleaner and more efficient small-scale gold mining practices that benefit everyone, from mine to market.

Supporting countries’ commitments under the Minamata Convention on Mercury, the planetGOLD programme is working to eliminate mercury from the supply chain of gold produced by artisanal and small-scale miners by:

  • Supporting efforts to integrate the ASGM sector into the formal economy, society, and regulatory system
  • Introducing and facilitating access to mercury-free technologies and best practices in ASGM
  • Facilitating miners’ access to formal gold supply chains, in partnership with gold buyers and industrial users
  • Piloting a range of models for access to investment and finance for small-scale miners and their communities