Blog: Meeting the Challenges of COVID-19

By Environmental Governance Programme (EGP)

Raising Local Community Voices in Sustainable Mining Governance

The social, political, economic, and environmental consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic pose severe challenges for sustainable mining governance. The Environmental Governance Programme (EGP) – implemented by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA) – has responded to these challenges in Argentina, Colombia, Ecuador, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Liberia, Mongolia, Namibia, Peru, and Zambia.

In the Loreto region of Peru's Amazon River basin, the EGP facilitated the delivery of personal protective equipment and technological resources to environmental monitors, allowing them to continue their work despite the challenges posed by the pandemic. In the Ancash region, the Huarmey Committee sensitized citizens about the risks associated with COVID-19 by promoting personal care practices on radio and television. These efforts were successful thanks to EGP's cooperation with the Government of Peru, local committees for participatory environmental monitoring, and indigenous peoples' associations.

"With support from the EGP, we carried out campaigns promoting the responsible use of water for hand washing. We promoted the disposal of waste as masks and gloves to counter the environmental impact of COVID-19 health protection routines", says Fryda Bohorquez, Technical Secretary of the Huarmey Committee.

Blog: Meeting the Challenges of COVID-19

Similarly, in Mongolia - where COVID-19 has impacted social and economic life due to strict lockdowns - EGP staff met local counterparts and conducted on-site monitoring and training activities throughout the pandemic. The EGP engaged with local stakeholders virtually and produced communication products in electronic and print formats for distribution to local counterparts. This enabled the continuation of EGP activities benefitting the local population throughout the pandemic.

In Liberia, where the pandemic has prompted widespread youth unemployment in rural and vulnerable communities, the EGP worked with local stakeholders to promote Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining (ASM) governance. The ASM sector – the main source of income for over 100,000 gold and diamond miners in the country – has faced ongoing challenges due to limited regulation and limited knowledge of existing laws by miners, leading to environmental degradation and human rights violations. Unregulated and illegal mining has increased as a result of the pandemic.

“COVID-19 has limited government monitoring of the ASM sector due to over-stretched capacities and resources”, says Abraham Tumbey, EGP’s Programme Coordinator with UNDP in Liberia.

He highlights that the EGP responded to these challenges by working with government authorities and local stakeholders to develop a user-friendly ASM handbook that will provide guidance to miners and host communities about regulations, norms and practical steps to improve health, safety, and environmental and human rights protection in ASM.

Going forward, the EGP will continue to work with partners to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 by engaging local communities and helping to make their voices heard in mining governance. By continuing to work together to tackle the pandemic, we can jointly face the challenges that threaten to reverse development gains achieved over the last 20 years and help countries realize our global ambition to end poverty in all its forms, everywhere.

Aerial View of Monrovia, Liberia. Credits: © UN Photo/Ari Gaitanis

Environmental Governance Programme (EGP)

The EGP is a global programme jointly implemented by the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) since 2014. The EGP helps countries to prevent and manage the environmental risks and corresponding impacts on human rights in the mining sector. The EGP is funded by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida).