In the early 2000s, Mongolian miners were nicknamed "ninjas" due to the green pots resembling the shells of ninja turtles that they carried with them. Tuyaa Damdinjants, one of these "ninjas," heads the mining partnership "Shijir Khishig" (SKP) in the Selenge aimag. With significant experience in this field, she founded SKP together with 700 other artisanal miners who registered their businesses and began training, as well as helped organize cooperatives. SKP collaborates with the planetGOLD project, implemented by UNEP with support from GEF, while UNIDO is responsible for the introduction of mercury-free technologies and improved mining methods. "Many women participated in this activity, and some fathers even brought their children to the mining sites," shares Tuyaa. "Mercury was the only accessible way to extract gold and was sold in small bottles in stores."
Important aspects of the planetGOLD project include human rights and gender equality. A Gender Committee was established to work on these issues, and training was conducted. Notably, the number of women in leadership positions in this traditionally male sector is increasing. Tuyaa attributes this to the formalization of the sector and the growing need for diverse skills such as conflict resolution and financial management.
In conditions of economic instability, the planetGOLD project demonstrates that environmental issues related to mining using ASM can be addressed through effective and safe processing technologies that are also financially sustainable.
“This project has elevated the processing technologies for gold-bearing ore in Mongolia to a new level,” notes Tuyaa. “These technologies save time and labor, are economically efficient, and benefit all participants in the industry.”
Thanks to the introduction of more modern technologies, the speed of gold extraction has increased, which in turn brings greater income to miners. UNIDO facilitated the establishment of two processing plants in the Mandal sum and the Tunhel village in the Selenge aimag, as well as improved the capacity of workers by developing training programs and conducting a series of workshops on mercury-free methods and other important issues.
Tatar S.Maidar
