The SAM Project’s “Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining Legal Reform” regional trainings covered 15 aimags and 70 soums, and involved both miners and local government officials. The trainings were organised by the Ministry of Mining and Heavy Industry, the Mineral Resources and Petroleum Authority, the SAM Project, and local governments in Umnugovi, Uvs, Selenge and Bayankhongor aimags. They were aimed at introducing and implementing the laws, resolutions, orders and approaches that were updated in 2017.

Also in attendance were representatives from the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection, the ASM National Federation, and the Stakeholders’ Engagement in Sustainable Development NGO.

Among the key focus areas were “ASM organisations’ participation in the formalisation of artisanal mining, and respective challenges”, “the participation of locals in the small-scale mining formalisation process”, and “Occupational safety and health in ASM”.

“In Umnugovi aimag, we didn’t support the small-scale mining sector until 2016,” said Umnugovi aimag Deputy Governor Munkhbaatar. “In September 2016, the Citizens’ Representative Khural meeting passed a decree with the intention of formalizing the artisanal and small-scale miners. In the past few months, we have delivered the order to soum governors and asked them to organise activities and raise awareness among citizens. We also attended the conference organised by the SAM Project and drafted a plan of collaboration.

“Within the framework of this project, we are visiting other provinces and conducting workshops on illegal mining, on what ASM is, and future approaches. In the future, if the Mineral Resources and Petroleum Authority approves land for mineral extraction, we will need to allow legal extraction and we will require rehabilitation; otherwise illegal mining might continue.”

“This workshops are taking place in Umnugovi, Bayankhongor, Selenge and Uvs aimags in regional zones with the goal of raising awareness about the implementation of the resolution and orders and the opportunities that exist for citizens to legally extract minerals,” said ASM National Federation Chair B. Narantsogt.

In this manner, the recently approved ASM decrees will come to closer to proper implementation, and the local officials will have a more holistic understanding.