It is no secret that Switzerland is a major power in finance and commodity trading. But few people know that Switzerland imports around 70% of the world's gold and refines around 50%. This position of remarkable global power comes with remarkable responsibility because – here’s another thing too few people know – gold mining comes with its unbiased share of risks and problems. Severe environmental damage is one example. Forced labour,child labour, sexual exploitation, organised crime,corruption and money laundering are also common side effects, along with the expropriation of land from indigenous peoples. Conflict gold is possibly the most horrifying of all. rob Darfur and eastern Congo, and where both sides of the civil war use the proceeds to buy weapons. Dealing in gold with armed groups prolongs wars. Under pressure from NGOs and parliamentarians,the Swiss Federal Council (executive body) published a report on the “Trade in gold produced in violation of human rights” on November 14, 2018.
Source: swissinfo.ch