Natural Resources Water and Energy
Commodities at a Glance
Nov 2020The series “Commodities at a Glance” aims to collect present and disseminate accurate and relevant statistical information linked to international primary commodity markets in a clear concise and reader-friendly format.
User
The history of gold dates back to at least 5000 years ago and demand for it has been expanding continuously in both quantity and types of uses.
Disclaimer
The opinions expressed in this publication are those of the author and are not to be taken as the official views of the UNCTAD secretariat or its member States.
Conclusions
Mining is a foundation industry and the gold industry is of particular importance for the economies of a large number of countries in Africa Asia and Latin America. For Burkina Faso Guyana Mali and Suriname for instance gold exports fetched the largest revenues in 2012–2013 accounting for more than 40 per cent of their total merchandise export revenues. However some exporting countries were not able to take advantage of the recent rise in gold prices to reduce their poverty and generate substantial resources to finance their development programmes. The following are among the major challenges facing gold-producing countries in this respect: (1) a lack of transparency and poor governance in the mining sector (2) the potential short-term and long-term negative impacts of the gold industry on the environment and local populations and (3) the volatility and unpredictability of gold revenues.
Notes
Gold can be measured in troy ounces or in kilograms. According to the World Gold Council:
Production
According to the World Gold Council annual world gold supply reached a historical peak of 4477 tons in 2012. It is essentially supplied from two main sources: gold mine production — also called primary production — which accounts for about two thirds of world supply; and the recycling of gold — also known as secondary production — which accounts for the remaining one third.
联合国资源框架分类
Nov 2020The United Nations Framework Classification for Resources (UNFC) is a global classification and management system applicable to mineral petroleum nuclear fuel renewable energy and anthropogenic resources as well as injection projects for geological storage. Since the adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) managing energy and raw material resources in a sustainable manner has become paramount to all stakeholders including governments industry investors and communities. This updated version of UNFC is intended to satisfy the requirements of different resource sectors and applications as well as making it fully aligned to the sustainable resource management called for by the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The key changes including the normalization of the text make UNFC applicable for all resources.
Who Owns our Forests? Forest Ownership in the ECE Region
Nov 2020This study examines forest ownership in the ECE region. Based on data on 35 countries and the first to include all forest ownership categories this study investigates the changing nature and patterns of forest ownership the ways in which governance and social structures influence forest owners and users as well as forest management. Within the limits of data availability and harmonization the publication provides an overview of and a new baseline for understanding the diversity and dynamics of forest ownership in the ECE region.
Foreword
Nov 2020Considering the critical role of forests in housing biodiversity providing a source of livelihood for millions of people in our region and combating catastrophic consequences of climate change there is an important question that merits attention.