IMPACT

📸 The IMPACT team based in Canada recently stepped away from our desks to connect with each other and with nature. We took time to disconnect, enjoy the outdoors, and share ideas. As we kick off 2025, moments like these remind us of the importance of balance, #teamwork, and fresh perspectives as we transform how natural resources are managed in areas where security and human rights are at risk. We’re recharged, inspired, and ready for the year ahead! 😁

Le commerce informel de l’or est l’un des principaux obstacles au développement ou au maintien d’initiatives d’approvisionnement responsable dans le secteur de l’exploitation aurifère artisanale. Ce commerce est alimenté par des réseaux complexes de petits et grands négociants qui sont dispersés et opèrent en marge des systèmes formels. De nombreuses initiatives excluent les négociants en raison de leur caractère informel, de leur pratique d’approvisionnement auprès de plusieurs sites et exploitantes et exploitants miniers, et de leur manque de transparence ou de collecte de données. Dans ce contexte, il est difficile de faire preuve de diligence raisonnable. En l’absence de mesures incitatives ou d’un environnement encourageant les exploitantes et les exploitants miniers à utiliser les circuits de vente officiels, la plupart des initiatives d’approvisionnement responsable épousent un modèle à circuit fermé et à source unique. Si cette approche est efficace au regard de la traçabilité, elle pose des défis en matière de viabilité, notamment parce que les volumes sont plus faibles et l’exportation plus compliquée. Cependant, si les négociants sont complètement exclus, on risque de perpétuer le commerce informel, qui est un obstacle persistant aux efforts d’approvisionnement légal et responsable. Dans ce secteur, les initiatives d’approvisionnement durable doivent passer par la mobilisation des négociants et la création d’avenues leur permettant de participer aux systèmes formels. En savoir plus➡️ https://lnkd.in/dR2-GBAU -- One of the biggest challenges to scaling or sustaining responsible sourcing initiatives in the artisanal gold mining sector is competition from the informal gold trade. This trade is driven by complex, dispersed networks of small and large traders who operate outside formal systems. Many initiatives have avoided incorporating traders due to their informality, their practice of sourcing from multiple miners and sites, and the lack of transparency or data collection. These factors make implementing due diligence difficult. Without incentives or an enabling environment to encourage traders to use formal sales channels, most responsible sourcing initiatives have opted for a closed-pipe, single-source model. While effective for traceability, this approach faces its own viability challenges, including smaller volumes and export difficulties. However, excluding traders entirely risks perpetuating the informal trade as a persistent obstacle to legal and responsible sourcing efforts. Engaging traders and creating pathways for their participation in formal systems will be critical to the success of sustainable sourcing initiatives in the sector. ➡️ https://lnkd.in/dnB6rq-i

🤔How do tax policies influence mineral smuggling? For years, IMPACT has been researching the drivers of mineral smuggling and implementing projects for responsible supply chains. One key finding? High taxes can incentivize smuggling, as well as informal and illegal payments in the minerals sector. 🔎 Learn more about the systemic issues impacting responsible supply chains: https://bit.ly/3ClLazV

Research shows that high taxes and complex administrative processes are contributing to gold smuggling in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Between 2017 and 2019, while working with cooperatives and exporters, the Just Gold project documented 26 procedural steps involving multiple agencies and government representatives—with some steps necessitating several visits over a two-week period. In Ituri Province, supply chain actors imposed a 12% fee at the point of export, while neighbouring Uganda applied only a 5% royalty to the mined value instead of an export tax. IMPACT’s report, The Intermediaries: Traders Who Threaten the Democratic Republic of Congo’s Efforts for Conflict-Free Gold, revealed that registered traders and exporters declare only a small fraction of their gold exports while generating substantial illicit profits. Since 2018, IMPACT has been addressing this challenge to responsible artisanal gold trade. Through workshops in Ituri and Kinshasa, we’ve brought together policymakers, miners, traders, and civil society to simplify taxes and fees, creating a more transparent and equitable gold supply chain.    ➡️➡️ https://lnkd.in/dmUM2McP 

Chez IMPACT, la gestion de l’environnement consiste à donner aux communautés locales les moyens de reconnaître et de comprendre les effets de leurs activités minières, tout en leur permettant d’en réduire les répercussions écologiques. Pour ce faire, il est possible de leur fournir une assistance technique directe, en favorisant par exemple l’adoption des technologies sans mercure, en mettre à place des mesures d’adaptation fondées sur la nature, comme la réintroduction de la végétation indigène propice au stockage du carbone, ou même soutenir une gouvernance plus inclusive intégrant directement la gestion des écosystèmes. En savoir plus➡️: https://bit.ly/4fivRFL -- At IMPACT, Environmental stewardship is about empowering local communities to acknowledge and understand the impacts of their mining activities, while building their capacity to reduce these environmental impacts. This can be through direct technical assistance such as introducing mercury-free gold technology and implementing nature-based adaption measures, such as the reintroduction of native vegetation to promote carbon storage, or even supporting more inclusive governance that integrates ecosystem management. Read more➡️: https://bit.ly/4gdzIFB

Dans le cadre du projet Favoriser la résilience, financé par la Suède, nous collaborons avec la communauté de Nyangwe, située dans le territoire de Mambasa, province de l’Ituri, en RDC, pour explorer comment les activités minières artisanales affectent les forêts et les personnes qui en dépendent pour leur subsistance. Notre récente évaluation des services écosystémiques a révélé que la dégradation des forêts due à l’exploitation minière artisanale rend difficile l’accès des femmes à des produits forestiers non ligneux, comme les noix de kola et le bitter kola, essentielles pour l’alimentation et les revenus. « Autrefois, ces ressources étaient disponibles à proximité de notre village. Aujourd’hui, nous devons parcourir de longues distances, car les activités minières impactent les forêts », a partagé Faliala, une vendeuse qui dépend des produits forestiers non ligneux pour son revenu. Ce diagnostic environnemental aide IMPACT à comprendre les défis auxquels font face des communautés comme celle de Nyangwe, afin d’identifier les services écosystémiques et les moyens de soutenir ceux qui dépendent à la fois des forêts et de l’exploitation minière. En aidant les communautés locales à restaurer les zones forestières et à promouvoir des pratiques durables, le projet Favoriser la résilience contribue à créer de nouvelles opportunités pour les femmes et leurs communautés, afin de s’adapter aux changements environnementaux, de renforcer leurs moyens de subsistance et de bâtir leur résilience. ---- As part of the Powering Resilience project, funded by Sweden, we are working with the Nyangwe community in Mambasa territory, Ituri Province in DRC, to explore how artisanal mining activities impact forests and the people who depend on them for their livelihoods. Our recent ecosystem services assessment revealed that forest degradation caused by artisanal mining is making it difficult for women to access non-timber forest products, such as kola nuts and bitter kola, which are essential for food and income. "In the past, these resources were available near our village. Today, we must walk long distances because mining activities are impacting the forests," shared Faliala, a vendor who relies on these products for her income. This environmental assessment helps IMPACT understand the challenges faced by communities like Nyangwe, enabling the identification of ecosystem services and strategies to support those who depend on both forests and mining. By helping local communities restore forested areas and promote sustainable practices, the Powering Resilience project creates new opportunities for women and their communities to adapt to environmental changes, strengthen their livelihoods, and build resilience.

We’re thrilled to welcome Nyaradzo Mutonhori to IMPACT’s team as the Project Manager for the planetGOLD project in Zimbabwe.😁 As a seasoned environmental lawyer, Nyaradzo brings extensive experience in natural resources governance, climate change, and human rights. We are excited to have her on board and look forward to her contributions as we continue to transform the management of natural resources in areas where security and human rights are at risk.

Nous avons le plaisir de vous annoncer que Chad Vincent kabamba Mwimana a rejoint l'équipe d'IMPACT en tant qu’un Chauffeur Logisticien. Veuillez vous joindre à nous pour souhaiter la bienvenue à Chad! 😁 Nous sommes impatients de bénéficier de son expertise alors que nous continuons à transformer la gestion des ressources naturelles dans les zones où la sécurité et les droits humains sont menacés.

🤔Did you know #Zimbabwe ratified the Minamata Convention on Mercury in 2021, committing to reducing harmful mercury use and aligning with global sustainability goals? The planetGOLD Zimbabwe project—supported by the Global Environment Facility, implemented by UN Environment Programme, and executed by IMPACT in coordination with the Government of Zimbabwe—advances this commitment by fostering collaboration among supply chain actors and local communities. At the project’s Inception Workshop held in November, stakeholders came together to discuss how shared leadership and responsibility will drive success. A strong Project Steering Committee is in place to ensure a coordinated approach to addressing challenges in the ASGM sector. By prioritizing health, safety, and environmental sustainability, planetGOLD Zimbabwe is working to create a more responsible artisanal gold sector that benefits miners and their communities.

📢The Government of Zimbabwe has launched the $23.7M planetGOLD Zimbabwe project to reduce mercury use in artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM). Over the next five years, the project will improve health, formalize the sector, and strengthen responsible gold supply chains. Zimbabwe’s ASGM sector supports over 300,000 miners and contributes more than 40% of the country’s mineral exports. However, 96% of mine sites still rely on mercury—a toxic chemical that releases over 24 tonnes annually, endangering the environment and communities. With support from the Global Environment Facility, implemented by UN Environment Programme and executed by IMPACT in close coordination with the government, the project will: ✅ Support 7,500 miners in 11 districts ✅ Reduce mercury use by 4.85 tonnes ✅ Introduce mercury-free technologies ✅ Expand access to finance ✅ Promote formalization and responsible gold supply chains Zimbabwe joins 25 countries in the global planetGOLD programme, working to reduce mercury pollution and improve the lives of mining communities. Read more: https://bit.ly/3ZIwySS