The Conflict-Free Gold Standard is designed to apply to World Gold Council members and other companies involved in the extraction of gold…The Standard takes the form of a decision tree split into five sections: Part A - Conflict Assessment…Part B - Company Assessment…Part C - Commodity Assessment…Part D - External Sources of Gold Assessment…[and] Part E – Statement of Conformance Documentation…While working to exclude illegitimate gold from the supply chain, it is critical that mining companies and the broader international community also recognise the important role that gold mining can play in protecting the interests of communities which are dependent upon legitimate gold production…