The Pilares project: Pre-situational and applied political economy analysis

The Pilares project works to improve the capacity of civil society to better understand and address child labor and promote acceptable conditions of work in the artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) sector in Zaragoza and El Bagre of Bajo Cauca, Antioquia, and Barranco de Loba and San Martin de Loba of Sur de Bolivar, Colombia. 

To develop a comprehensive understanding of the civil society landscape in the target municipalities, Pact conducted a desktop and field research exercise to: contextualize the issues of child labor and violations of workplace conditions in ASGM; identify and map local and regional civil society actors; understand the social, economic and political contexts within which these organizations operate; assess the incentive structure and current capacities of civil society actors; identify key stakeholders to consult, engage and/or keep informed during the project’s implementation.