Jorden is a development professional from the Netherlands, specialized in artisanal and small-scale gold mining, formalization and socio-economic development issues in Sub-Saharan Africa. He has conducted field research and worked on projects in Sierra Leone, Kenya, the Eastern DRC, Eritrea and South Africa. He is currently based in Nairobi where he works as a consultant with the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR). As part of his work, he supports African countries in executing National Action Plan projects for reducing mercury use in the ASGM sector and addressing wider issues of sustainable development. He is also the lead author of the UN Environment "Handbook for Developing National ASGM Formalization Strategies within National Action Plans", also known as the Formalization Handbook.