Voluntary Principles featured at Ccolquemin 2023, the first Artisanal Mining Convention in the Peruvian Macro Sur region.

From 12 August to 13 August, DCAF’s civil society partner the Centro Guaman Poma de Ayala (Guaman Poma) contributed to the first artisanal mining convention of the Peruvian Macro Sur Region, a groundbreaking event for the district of Colquemarca.

Guaman Poma, as the Secretariat of the Regional VPs Working Group, took the center stage to advocate for security, human rights, and regional multi-stakeholder collaboration.

With approximately 600 participants, "CCOLQUEMIN 2023" was a significant event that brought together representatives of artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM), government actors, and industry actors. Together they addressed the challenges and opportunities in the sector.

The first day featured local, regional, and national government authorities, including representatives from the mining and governmental sectors. Expert plenary sessions focused on the challenges of ASM, including topics such as national policies, community engagement, mining formalization and regulatory change.

Guaman Poma delivered a presentation on the VPs that highlighted not only the crucial intersection of security and human rights within ASM but also emphasized the dedicated efforts of the Regional Working Group in Cusco (RWG). Guaman Poma also underscored the important role that mining cooperatives can play in fostering a secure environment for artisanal miners while upholding their fundamental rights.

In addition to their presentation on the VPs, Guaman Poma animated a permanent information stand on the VPs and the RWG at the industry fair. This allowed for direct exchanges with artisanal miners on their unique challenges and aspirations. The information stand also helped raise awareness on the VPs, as well as the security and human rights good practices developed in the DCAF-ICRC Security and Human Rights Toolkit, and the accompanying factsheets on artisanal mining, gender, indigenous peoples and human rights defenders. the broader societal good.

The districts surrounding Colqumarca include major industrial miners such as MMG’s Las Bambas, Glencore’s Antapaccay, and Hudbay’s Constancia mine. Guaman Poma’s contributions to this event can be seen as a first step towards forging relationships in the region to promote dialogue and partnerships to drive positive change.

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