Informal gold miners, security and development in Colombia: Charting the way forward

The argument here is twofold. First, mining formalization should not be viewed as an isolated process, but rather as part of a complex package involving the synergistic achievement of strong legislative, judicial and security institutions through an inclusive environment. Second, its persistent failure in Colombia is due to a combination of a weak State, powerful insurgent and criminal organizations, as well as government policies that generally have not taken into account the interests of artisanal miners. The focus here will be upon informal gold miners. Canadian corporations and their relation to artisanal miners will be emphasized, given Canada's dominant role in the country's extractive sector.