RAID’s influential report Unanswered Questions: companies, conflict and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (2004) contributed to the adoption in 2006 of the OECD’s Risk Awareness Tool for Multinational Enterprises in Weak Governance Zones. Follow-up work since then has stimulated, among other things, frameworks for action on conflict minerals, among them the OECD’s Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises and Due Diligence Guidance; and the US Securities and Exchange Commission’s work to track conflict minerals.
Examples of RAID’s work on the supply chain for conflict minerals
RAID and its Congolese partner, ACIDH, have carried out research in the copper and cobalt area in southern Katanga, Democratic Republic of Congo, for over 10 years on both industrial mining and the artisanal sector. In 2011 they began to research the impact of the implementation of the link to page 2.4.2 international Tin Supply Chain initiative (iTSCi) scheme in Northern Katanga.
Since 2011 RAID has participated regularly in meetings of the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR) and OECD to review and discuss implementation of the Link to page 2.4.2 OECD Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Supply Chains of Minerals from Conflict-Affected and High-Risk Areas and the ICGLR Regional Certification Mechanism.
Since August 2012 companies that file reports with the US Securities and Exchange Commission are required to determine whether minerals in their consumer products come from the Democratic Republic of Congo or surrounding countries. If so, the companies must attempt to verify that the minerals do not finance or benefit armed groups in those countries, and they must admit publicly if they are unable to do so. In 2012 RAID met Commissioners and staff of the SEC to advise them on the implementation of the rules on conflict minerals, under Section 1502 of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act.