Date: August to December 2019
Raw materials: Not mineral specific
Location: Mongolia
The project
As part of a periodic review of its support to the Mongolia Artisanal and Small-scale Mining Federation (ASMNF), the Trafigura Foundation commissioned Levin Sources for a dual purpose:
- To evaluate the historic and likely future development impact of the ASMNF on its membership and artisanal and small-scale mining communities more generally; and
- To develop, in collaboration with the ASMNF, a high-level strategic plan that would best position the organisation to achieve sustainability and impact in the medium to long term.
Background: funding ASMNF
Since its establishment in 2013, the ASMNF has worked to promote and support the rights of artisanal miners and their communities at the national, regional and district levels in Mongolia. Through its services, it has delivered assistance with a focus on capacity building of members and member organisations, combined with advocacy and communications. Today, the ASMNF is widely recognised as the primary institution representing the interests of artisanal miners in Mongolia, counting a membership of 87 NGOs, 400 partnerships and approximately 6,500 individual members.
Despite generating significant impact for members, including the provision of training to 10,500 individuals (cumulative) from 2017 to 2019, the ASMNF has been highly dependent on external funding. Much of this funding has come from the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation through the Sustainable Artisanal Mining project, which came to an end in December 2019. As part of its strategy to diversify funding, the ASMNF has therefore engaged and secured a small number of different donors, foremost amongst them the Trafigura Foundation.
Results: a report to inform support
The final report will be used by the Trafigura Foundation to inform the nature and extent of its ongoing technical and financial support to the ASMNF. It will also be used by the ASMNF to orient its strategic priorities with a view to ensuring sustainable and impactful service provision to members and communities in the future.
An abridged version of the report is available on request from Levin Sources. It is likely to be of particular relevance to development cooperation agencies and partners that either work with or are exploring cooperation with the ASMNF.
