Press Release on Due Diligence Recommendations Addressed to Companies

 

by UN Group of Experts on Democratic Republic of Congo

 

On 16 November 2011, the Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 1533 (2004) concerning the Democratic Republic of the Congo considered the final report of the Group of Experts on the Democratic Republic of the Congo (document S/2011/738), which is available on the Committee’s website:  http://www.un.org/sc/committees/1533/egroup.shtml.

In this connection, the Committee wishes to draw attention to the following recommendations included in the above-mentioned report, which are addressed to companies:

Recommendation 33:  The Group recommends that minerals that have documentation proving that they were produced before the Government’s mining ban, but were not exported before 1 April 2011, be tagged as stock and sold.  Any financial benefit that may have been derived by armed groups and/or Forces armées de la République démocratique du Congo (FARDC) criminal networks from these minerals has already occurred, and the Group considers that there is nothing to be gained at this stage by leaving the stocks unsold.  A generous portion of the proceeds from the stock sale should be used to finance traceability, and environmental and social projects in the affected provinces.

Recommendation 34:  All companies purchasing, processing and consuming minerals that have not already done so should commit to implementing the United Nations Group of Experts due diligence guidelines.

Recommendation 35:  The Group encourages international buyers, processors and consumers of minerals to support the progressive demilitarization of the mining sector in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo by remaining engaged in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the regional market while implementing supply chain due diligence.

Recommendation 36:  Oil companies with interests in blocks in eastern Congo should take note of the complex security environment described in this report and ensure that their exploration and eventual production operations do not directly or indirectly benefit armed groups or criminal networks within the FARDC.

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For information media • not an official record