Read our statement in response to the U.S. Department of State's request for comment on supporting best practices in responsible minerals sourcing in the Great Lakes region of Africa.
Artisanal and small-scale (ASM) gold remains a major source of income for elements of the Congolese armed forces, armed groups, and criminal networks.
It is time to increase international pressure to prevent a wider crisis in Congo. The E.U. should add a new criterion to its sanctions regime focused on corruption, which would allow the E.U. to place sanctions on high-level officials involved in large-scale corruption.
This two-part blog series aims to shed light on wider violence in the Kasai region based on recent field reporting carried out there. The disappearances and killings of the investigators highlight the risks involved in documenting human rights violations in the area. They also emphasize the ongoing need for such reporting.
This two-part blog series aims to shed light on wider violence in the Kasai region based on recent field reporting carried out there. The disappearances and killings of the investigators highlight the risks involved in documenting human rights violations in the area. They also emphasize the ongoing need for such reporting.
In recent weeks, human rights groups and civil society members based in eastern Congo and the region issued 11 different letters in support of Dodd-Frank 1502, representing 111 organizations in total.
The Enough Project is deeply saddened by the deaths of United Nations Group of Experts investigators Michael Sharp and Zaida Catalán and their interpreter, Betu Tshintela. Their driver, Isaac Kabuayi and two unidentified motorbike drivers traveling with the group are still missing. We extend our condolences to all of their families and colleagues.
The Enough Project is deeply saddened by the deaths of United Nations Group of Experts investigators Michael Sharp and Zaida Catalán and their interpreter, Betu Tshintela. Their driver, Isaac Kabuayi and two unidentified motorbike drivers traveling with the group are still missing. We extend our condolences to all of their families and colleagues.
In recent weeks, numerous American businesses have come out publicly in support of the Securities and Exchange Commission’s Conflict Minerals Rule, pursuant to Dodd-Frank Section 1502.
On January 31, Acting Chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Michael Piwowar welcomed interested parties to submit comments in response to a statement calling into question the current Conflict Minerals Rule. The Enough Project has submitted a comment in response.
It was not long ago that central Africa was mired in its "first world war" that led to 5.4 million deaths in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Slowly and painstakingly, conflict-affected areas have started to recover. But peace is fragile, and a reversion to widespread violence is never a far-off prospect.
On January 31, Acting Chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Michael Piwowar welcomed interested parties to submit comments in response to a statement calling into question the current Conflict Minerals Rule. In the weeks following, numerous companies, investors, activists, NGOs, and others have come out publicly in support of the Rule. The Enough Project strongly opposes any suspension, weakening, or repeal of the current Conflict Minerals Rule, and urges the SEC to increase enforcement of the Rule. Our full comment can be found below.
The conflict-free minerals trade has been slowly but steadily increasing in recent years, and 2016 resulted in record-high exports from the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo once again. The North Kivu province, the most 3T-rich minerals province in Congo, exported record-high conflict-free export numbers for both tin and tantalum in 2016. This counters the claims that Dodd-Frank 1502, often referred to as the conflict minerals law, is leading to a de facto embargo on eastern Congo’s minerals.
This Valentine’s Day the Enough Project is excited to announce we will once again be ranking leading companies on their efforts to source conflict-free minerals from Congo. With the Dodd-Frank 1502 conflict minerals law under increasing threat of being repealed or weakened, this consumer holiday is the perfect time to let companies know we expect a strong commitment to conflict-free sourcing.
On February 6th, Elm Sustainability Partners, an independent advisory firm, published detailed information demonstrating that implementation costs related to federal conflict minerals reporting requirements for businesses have been substantially lower than expected and U.S. companies have in fact seen “tangible business benefits.”
At fifteen minutes to midnight on New Year’s Eve, early fireworks went off in the Democratic Republic of Congo. These weren’t to celebrate another new year, but rather the signing of an agreement that, if implemented, paves the way for the country’s first ever peaceful, democratic transition of power.
Human rights activists and policymakers are celebrating as Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker will sign a statewide “conflict-free” legislation in an official ceremony tomorrow afternoon. Massachusetts now joins Maryland and California as the third state in the country to have passed legislation supporting a conflict-free minerals trade and peace in the Democratic Republic of Congo, as well as 25 schools and six cities around the world which have implemented similar policies.
On January 18, 2017, the Enough Project co-hosted an event with the Atlantic Council titled “DRC's CENCO Agreement: A Foundation for Real Political Transition?”
On January 18, the Enough Project co-hosted an event with the Atlantic Council titled “DRC's CENCO Agreement: A Foundation for Real Political Transition?” An 11th-hour deal signed on New Years Eve in Congo which on paper precludes President Joseph Kabila from running for a third term and commits the country to holding elections in 2017. This event discussed possibilities for what is likely to happen in the coming crucial months during which the deal must be implemented.
On January 9th, the Richline Group released a statement voicing strong support for Section 1502, the conflict minerals provision of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act.