A Milestone for the Artisanal Mining Sector: UN Recognition of IC-ASM
The artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) sector has achieved a historic milestone. The International Council for Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining (IC-ASM) has been formally recognized in the newly released UN Guidance for Action on Critical Energy Transition Minerals by the UN Secretary-General’s Panel on Critical Energy Transition Minerals.
This recognition follows IC-ASM’s inclusion in the Panel’s 2024 Principles as Actionable Recommendation 4: Empowering ASM Towards Responsibility. For the millions of artisanal miners worldwide, this is more than just a symbolic gesture, it is an acknowledgment that their role is central to the global energy transition.
Why This Recognition Matters
For years, artisanal and small-scale miners have contributed significantly to the production of critical minerals, often under strenuous conditions and with little visibility and participation in policy conversations. The UN’s recognition of IC-ASM changes this narrative. It affirms that ASM is not a peripheral activity but a vital component of the clean energy transition.
For AWEIK and the women we represent in Kenya’s extractives sector, this new development is especially significant. It strengthens and unites our advocacy for gender-inclusive policies and confirms our efforts to highlight the contributions of women artisanal miners to the clean energy transition movement. It also provides global strength to push for safer mining practices, equitable participation, and access to responsible and traceable markets.
Implications for AWEIK and the ASM Community
This milestone carries significant implications for AWEIK and the artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) community. From a policy and advocacy perspective, it reinforces the urgency of integrating ASM into national frameworks, including the ongoing review of Kenya’s Mining Act of 2016 and the domestication of the Africa Mining Vision.
For equality and inclusion, it strengthens the call to ensure that women miners are not only recognized but meaningfully included in decision-making processes for energy transition and benefit-sharing mechanisms. It also highlights the importance of safety and innovation, creating opportunities to accelerate the adoption of safer and more sustainable mining technologies. Finally, for investment and market access, recognition at this level paves the way for increased investments in ASM while opening doors to responsible, transparent, and traceable global supply chains.
What Next?
This recognition is only the start. For it to have meaningful impact on both the ASM sector and the clean energy transition, several actions must follow:
Policy Action: Governments must translate this guidance into national policies that prioritize ASM, ensuring artisanal miners, who supply a significant share of critical minerals like cobalt, coltan, copper and several others are central to clean energy strategies.
Stronger Networks: ASM associations, advocacy groups like AWEIK, must leverage the IC-ASM platform to build stronger networks and amplify miners’ voices so that women and men miners are part of shaping a just and inclusive energy transition.
Funding for Innovation: Development partners and investors should increase funding for programs that enhance safety, mercury-free technologies, and gender equality in ASM, making artisanal production cleaner, safer, and more aligned with national and global sustainability goals.
Responsible Markets: The sector must move towards building transparent, traceable, and responsible markets. A secure supply of clean energy transition minerals depends on fair and ethical sourcing that includes artisanal miners, especially women who mine them.
Seizing the Opportunity
The recognition of IC-ASM by the United Nations affirms what we have always known and believed: artisanal miners are essential to the future of mining and the global energy transition.
But recognition is only the first step. The task now is to translate it into concrete actions; actions that create equitable opportunities for women and men, ensure safer working environments, and foster sustainable communities that thrive beyond mining. It is about building systems where artisanal miners can participate fully in transparent and traceable markets, contribute responsibly to the supply of critical minerals, and secure lasting prosperity for their families and communities.
At AWEIK, we see this as a call to action: to deepen our advocacy, strengthen our partnerships, and continue championing the voices of women miners. We invite governments, development partners, and the private sector to partner with AWEIK in shaping a more just, inclusive, and sustainable mining future.