The ASGM baseline guidebook and toolkit enable the reader to: 1. Create a comprehensive national overview of ASGM practices; 2. Design a baseline research plan that aligns with allotted resources; 3.,Collect relevant data from a variety of sources; and 4. Develop robust baseline estimates of annual ASGM mercury use, gold production, and workforce within the country.

This document represents an expansion of this original guidance document and is intended to reflect the language of the
Convention and other advances in understanding of the ASGM sector. It is intended to provide guidance to countries in
formulating ASGM National Action Plans (NAPs) that are compliant with the requirements of the Minamata Convention.
The document also provides technical, legal and policy information on issues related to ASGM, which may be useful
when preparing and implementing the NAP. This guidance is indicative – the use of this document is not mandatory or
a requirement under the Convention.
The mandate for the development of this document comes from the Final Act of the Minamata Convention, which
called on the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee on Mercury (INC) to support the development of guidance to
countries in preparing their NAPs.