Along with illegal mining, there is a chain of illicit activities that range from the irregular importation of precursors and machinery to the commercialization of illegally extracted resources.

This includes the laundering of profits that are reused in other illegal activities, or the expansion of illegal mining operations to other areas in the countries of the region.

The gaps in the regulatory frameworks and in the procedural protocols, the insufficient coordination between the authorities responsible for the detection, investigation and prosecution of illegal mining and its illicit financial flows, as well as the need to improve the mechanisms to promote international cooperation , are some of the challenges on which this project focuses.

The activities are aimed at directly benefiting civil servants and agencies from Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Guyana and Suriname.

These countries are among the largest gold producers in Latin America. Their combined production places them as the second largest producer in the world. It is estimated that between 50% and 60% of the mining industry in the region is informal, which makes it difficult for the State to supervise and control it and creates the ideal conditions for its exploitation.