The Conflict-Free Gold Standard

This case study describes why and how the World Gold Council led the development of the Conflict-Free Gold Standard (the Standard) from 2010 to the end of 2012. The Standard provides a common, voluntary approach through which gold mining companies can undertake due diligence and provide assurance to stakeholders, based on compliance with accepted international benchmarks, that their gold has been extracted in a manner that does not cause, support or benefit unlawful armed conflict or contribute to serious human rights abuses or breaches of international humanitarian law.