Liberia

Por Environmental Governance Programme (EGP)

Following 14 years of civil conflict and limited investment, the income and livelihoods of youth have been constrained, especially in rural parts of the country. As a result, many young people, including war-affected youth and youth in vulnerable conditions in both rural and urban areas, have been attracted to Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining (ASM) activities. The ASM sector is now the main source of income for more than 100,000 gold and diamond miners in Liberia. Out of the 1,293 mining operations in the country, 88.3 percent are ASM (World Bank, 2019).

The ASM sector, if governed well, has potential to support economic growth and the livelihoods of rural communities, who have limited or no access to basic services and income-generating activities. However, the sector also contributes to environmental degradation and associated impacts on human rights, including occupational health, safety, and gender equality. At the root of this problem are complex governance challenges, such as under regulation and a lack of knowledge and enforcement of existing laws.

Stories of Change

Unleashing the Power of Citizen Participation in Mining Governance

Improving Environmental Protection by Working with ASM Miners & Communities Impacted by Mining

Improving Environmental Protection by Working with ASM Miners and Communities Impacted by Mining

Key Results

The EGP developed skills and capacities of small-scale miners and host communities so that they would become knowledgeable of relevant enforceable regulations, including through a pioneering ASM Handbook.
Following a training workshop held in Liberia’s Bomi County, the Camp Alpha ASM community in the Gola Rainforest National Park region successfully kicked off community-based monitoring of land degradation in abandoned mining sites. The ASM community also began engaging miners to replant trees in those areas.
Working with the Society for the Conservation of Nature of Liberia (SCNL), community leaders and miners are applying the new ASM Handbook to step up joint monitoring exercises in ASM hotspots in Western Liberia.
The EGP supported the ASM Sector Working Group and welcomed new stakeholders into the platform, such as the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection and the Independent National Commission on Human Rights.

Progress and Achievements

The EGP in Liberia has continued to deliver strategic support to all stakeholders. This includes providing input into a new mining law which includes regulation of the ASM sector. Of particular value in this process is developing the skills and capacities of small-scale miners and host communities so that they become knowledgeable of the enforceable regulations in place and the different roles of the regulatory agencies.

This multi-stakeholder platform brings together the Ministry of Mines and Energy, the Environmental Protection Agency of Liberia (EPA), the Forestry Development Authority, the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection, the Independent National Commission on Human Rights (INCHR), the Ministry of Justice, the SCNL, and ASM miners and local communities.

Other key activities include:

ASM Handbook

Liberia’s first ASM Handbook, launched in August 2021 in Bomi County, was developed though a multi-stakeholder process, and serves as a training tool for ASM miners, associations and communities to understand safe mining practices and existing regulations. More than 100 miners participated in a series of workshops held in ASM hotspots in Grand Bassa, Nimba and Margibi Counties.
The ASM workshops were organized in partnership with the Ministry of Mines and Energy, the EPA, and the SCNL. Local associations and community-based organizations are starting to use the handbook to train miners, including in the Camp Alpha Community. Located near the Gola Rainforest National Park, this community has reported an increase in dialogue between the community leaders and miners to support the rehabilitation of degraded mining sites and improvement of mining practices.
Following the launch of the handbook, inter-agency monitoring and inspection visits were organized in Gbarpolu, Grand Cape Mount and Bomi Counties, bringing together the Ministry of Mines and Energy, the EPA, the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection, the Ministry of Justice, and the INCHR. These joint missions sought to assess the environmental impact of mining activities on the environment and mining communities, and to learn how to work together with ASM miners and the host communities in addressing outstanding environmental and human rights issues.

“The ASM Handbook is a simple and useful tool for both the miners and local community people. It has been effective in getting people to understand the risks associated with ASM and motivating them to take bold steps in solving key issues.” - Richard Hoff, Project Coordinator at the SCNL, and National Facilitator of the NGO Coalition of Liberia.

ASM Working Group and Secretariat

The EGP supported the establishment of the ASM Working Group and its Secretariat, which includes the INCHR and the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection. In 2021, the Working Group spearheaded dialogue on how to monitor and safeguard against gender and human rights challenges and risks in the ASM sector, including mainstreaming gender and human rights into the ASM Handbook.

Gender Equality Media Campaign

The EGP organized a month-long media campaign focusing on gender equality and women’s empowerment in communities impacted by ASM, featuring content in English and three local languages. The campaign mobilized three community radio stations to feature content related to ASM governance, including the danger of using mercury and other harmful substances in gold recovery, women and children’s rights, and the promotion of sustainable practices in the ASM sector.
The radio campaign covered two of the main ASM hotspots in Western Liberia, with more than 1,000 active miners. As part of the campaign, over 5,000 awareness materials, including stickers, posters and banners promoting mining governance and the existing laws of Liberia, were distributed across the mining communities.

South-South Exchange

Focusing on mercury-free ASM, the EGP supported a South-South Regional Exchange between Liberia and Ghana. This initiative included a joint study visit by UNDP Liberia and the EPA to Ghana’s University of Mines and Technology, located in Tarkwa, Western Region of Ghana. The exchange covered experiences with mercury-free technology and understanding of the role of communities in environmental and human rights protection, and of their leadership in the protection of Ghana’s water resources.

“The EGP has provided customized and useful tools that can help the Ministry in getting miners to understand their obligations and responsibilities according to the laws of Liberia. Miners can now become environmental stewards.”

In the news

EGP Partners

The EGP is implemented by UNDP Liberia in collaboration with national and local authorities, including the Ministry of Mines and Energy, the Forestry Development Authority, the EPA, and the SCNL.