Security Council Sanctions Committee Concerning Democratic Republic of Congo Holds Meeting on Natural Resources

On 3 June 2024, the Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 1533 (2004) concerning the Democratic Republic of the Congo held informal consultations on “DRC-mined gold, tantalum and tungsten:  illicit trading in DRC and internationally”.  The Committee received briefings by the Executive Secretary of the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR), a representative of the Centre for Responsible Business Conduct of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), and two representatives of the United Nations Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO).

The Executive Secretary of the ICGLR updated the Committee on the implementation of the recommendations adopted during the High-Level Workshop on Natural Resources in the Great Lakes Region held in Khartoum in September 2021.  He also briefed on recent initiatives aimed at sustaining regional efforts to address the illegal exploitation and illicit trade in natural resources.

The representative of the OECD’s Centre of Responsible Business Conduct briefed the Committee on progress and remaining challenges in responsible sourcing in the gold and 3T sector [tin (cassiterite), tungsten (wolframite), and tantalum (coltan)], as well as the OECD’s ongoing work with law enforcement agencies in countries that produce and consume mineral resources.

The representatives of MONUSCO briefed the Committee on challenges affecting the artisanal gold mining sector in South Kivu and Ituri, as well as due diligence issues in the coltan supply chains in North Kivu.

Committee members expressed concerns about the continued illegal exploitation of natural resources and its impact on instability in the DRC.