In August, members of the Amazon Gold Alliance (AGA), an initiative of Amazon Aid, participated at the in-person Regional Amazon Dialogues and the Amazonian Presidents’ Summit, organized by the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization (ACTO) in Bogota, Colombia. There, they held a series of collaborative engagements with AGA members and different stakeholders as part of the alternative agenda of the event.

The Regional Amazonian Dialogues started with virtual sessions from June to July, for different areas of interest, and finalized during the in-person event celebrated in Bogota. Some of the AGA members participated in the Commission on Public Security and Cross-Border and Transnational Illicit Activities discussion, advocating for strategies and perspectives on the fight against illegal gold mining in the Amazon.

AGA members played a central role in organizing different events on the dialogues’ alternative agenda, such as the launch of the report “Amazonia in Dispute: Climate Security and Socio-environmental Conflicts in the Northwestern Amazon”, led by the Igarapé Institute and the Foundation for Conservation and Sustainable Development (FCDS). Another keyevent was “Strengthening Regional Cooperation against Illegal Gold Mining in the Amazon: Traceability as a Strategic Tool,” organized by the Igarapé Institute and the Amazon Alliance for the Reduction of Gold Mining Impacts (AARIMO, for its Spanish acronym), which underscored the need for collective action and practical solutions such as traceability to address the challenges of illegal gold mining across the region.

Among the many topics discussed, the cross-border trade and distribution of mercury in the Amazon, was framed as a serious problem that requires a coordinated regional strategy led by ACTO. Some of the recommendations, for this commission’s agenda, were on including joint monitoring, information sharing, technical cooperation, and institutional strengthening to combat illicit trafficking and mitigate its impacts on health and the environment. It was agreed under the discussion that actively integrating civil society and Indigenous communities, with territorial knowledge and advocacy capacity, is essential to any viable solution and positive outcome.

Dialogue Roundtable on Regional Cooperation in the Fight Against Illegal Gold Mining in the Amazon: the Ouro Alvo Experience

Thanks to the leadership of AGA member Instituto Igarapé, the Alliance had the opportunity to host a roundtable with the Brazilian Federal Police, the Brazilian Geological Service, the Office of the Attorney General of Brazil, and the Office of the Attorney General of Colombia to learn from the experience of the Ouro Alvo project, implemented by Brazilian authorities.

The Ouro Alvo project has been a successful and pioneering initiative, driven by academic research and interinstitutional cooperation, which enabled Brazilian authorities to identify the “DNA” of gold in the country. This innovative approach—requiring extensive efforts to collect gold samples, differentiate their characteristics, and trace their origins—was instrumental in the success of Operação Ganância (“Operation Greed”), which dismantled one of the largest schemes of illicit gold mining and laundering in Brazil. By comparing the scientific profile of gold samples with seized gold, authorities can verify whether the documentation provided matches the actual origin of the gold, making it possible to uncover irregularities and identify potential cases of illicit mining.

During the roundtable, AGA members explored opportunities for regional collaboration and discussed the potential role of civil society in promoting and scaling innovative solutions like Ouro Alvo, which demonstrate how science and cooperation can contribute to addressing the complex challenges of illegal gold mining in the Amazon.