The Madini Project partner session to the 2021 OECD Forum on Responsible Mineral Supply Chains

How can artisanal mining in Eastern Congo (EDRC), often identified as a driver of conflict and human rights violations, be harnessed as a tool for local stabilisation? During this session, the Madini project will explore the details of the suggested approach with key stakeholders to build support for programme activities and enhancing them with collective inputs.

Approach and objectives

The Madini project, in conjunction with relevant stakeholders, will work with producers, traders and exporters to enhance their social performance, guided by the principles of upstream capacity building and continuous improvement of supply chain actors.

The revised RCM, which is aligned with the OECD Due Diligence Guidance and relevant international legal frameworks, provides an entry-point for this. The system is rigorous on substance and flexible on procedure. It will permit a route to markets for a number of the 182 project sites that are committed to implementing widely accepted performance standards. The project will support the monitoring of performance at the local level through locally based tri-partite committees, thereby further enhancing capacity for ongoing and effective risk assessment in supply chains.

The proposed project approach is based on internal strategic discussions and consolidated in a public report, produced by Levin Sources in advance of this session. It provides for multiple entry-points for improving adherence to the OECD DDGs, from on-the-ground risk assessment to national regulatory reforms, to enhancement of international standards and leveraging of industry associations to support upstream capacity building.

Outputs of the session will be incorporated into a final Madini project supply chain approach to be implemented in collaboration with key stakeholders.

Speakers

• Erik Kennes, International Alert/Madini
• Eric Kajemba, Observatoire pour la Gouvernance et la Paix/Madini, Bukavu
• Paul Mabolia, Government of the DRC representative and coordinator of the CTCPM Ministry of Mines
• Simon Nibizi, Coordinator of ICGLR Audit Committee
• Mike Loch, Responsible Trade
• Marianna Smirnova, Responsible Minerals Initiative
• Marga Veeneman, Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Moderated by Adam Rolfe, Levin Sources.

Practical information

• Date: 30 April 2021
• Time: 15:00 to 16:15 CET / 6:00 to 7:15 am PST / 9:00- 10:15 am EST
• Registration link: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_NC-Wod-4RdKAtSyAKkozjQ
• French-English translation foreseen

About the Madini Project

The Madini project aims to support responsible artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) supply chains from the DRC, in alignment with the OECD DDG and revised Regional Certification Mechanism.

The project is led by International Alert in partnership with IPIS, EurAc, OGP, and Justice-Plus; and funded by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs.