**2. Project design**

#### **2.1 Objectives**

The overarching project objective was to engage Guinea's private-sector mining companies in productive dialog regarding sustainable mining practices, both current and future. Specific goals included the following: (a) identify public-sector stakeholders that could champion sustainability-based initiatives and private-sector stakeholders with expertise in sustainable mining practices; (b) determine the industry's current direct GHG emissions and potential impacts from near-term industry growth; (c) in light of enormous pressure to expand, identify perceived and actual barriers to sector growth and perceived barriers to more sustainable practices; (d) describe proven best practices for sustainability in mining that are applicable and appropriate in Guinea; (e) assist in positioning the mining sector to help meet Guinea's INDCs

and to access new forms of capital (e.g., GCF); and (f) provide UNDP-Guinea a model for implementing such initiatives in the future.

Columbia's conceptual approach was threefold: (1) establish credibility with private- and public-sector stakeholders; (2) develop an unbiased overview of the industry's likely or typical operations, challenges, risks, and opportunities relative to environmental and social conditions; and (3) share pragmatic approaches to sustainable mining in a face-to-face forum to (i) enhance Guinea's knowledge base, (ii) elicit industry feedback on specific tactics used currently and challenges foreseen, and (iii) leverage dialog to form a collaborative effort among stakeholders to share knowledge and to focus on achievable sustainability goals.
