A report outlining a new certification scheme aims to provide a mechanism for tracking high-value and conflict-prone minerals from Africa’s Great Lakes region.
Launched by Partnership Africa Canada (PAC), “Taming the Resource Curse: Implementing the ICGLR Certification Mechanism for Conflict-prone Minerals” looks at the strengths and weaknesses of existing certification systems, including the Kimberley Process (KP), and applies its findings to gold, coltan, tungsten, and tin in the context of Africa’s Great Lakes region.
The report’s recommendations form the basis of the Mineral Tracking and Certification System, which is being developed by the Burundi-based International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR).
“This report aims to give the ICGLR the head start it needs to avoid many of the pitfalls and limitations that have come to undermine the efficacy and legitimacy of the Kimberley Process,” said Joanne Lebert, director of PAC’s Great Lakes Program.
Authored by Shawn Blore and Ian Smillie, the report includes the introduction of mandatory, regular, and independent third-party audits of all participants in the mineral supply chain. It also provides a database to track mineral flows from mine site to export and beyond.
“The scheme will raise the bar considerably for all participants in the mineral supply chain, particularly those operating in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC),” said Blore, the report’s lead author.
One key design feature is the system’s flexibility and capacity to adapt according to changes in certification standards and criminality, which critics say are weaknesses in the KP.
The report is available at http://tinyurl.com/67rmhmn.
