Workshops to present the results of the mapping of artisanal mining sites carried out in Ituri
December 19, 2025Following this research, the results were presented in workshops in the above-mentioned territories to mining monitoring committees and project stakeholders in August 2025, facilitated by the IPIS focal point, Justice Plus staff and the IPIS research team. The aim of these feedback sessions was to share the results of our research with local actors in order to make them more accessible, enable the
Op-ed: A more strategic raw materials policy is needed, but cynically looking the other way is not the solution
November 20, 2025In an op-ed in De Morgen, IPIS’ Director Filip Reyniers and Chair Loïc De Cannière respond to Mark Elchardus, who recently argued that it would be “incomprehensible” and an example of “moral blindness” if the EU decided to end its raw materials agreement with Rwanda, in particular when it comes to Rwandese tungsten.
Why the Kimberley Process is not the answer to today’s mineral governance challenges
November 14, 2025Amid persisting concerns over how mineral exploitation is entangled with conflict, human rights abuses, smuggling, and corruption, the Kimberley Process (KP) keeps resurfacing as a go-to model. Its core approach – a certification scheme meant to ban conflict diamonds, which now account for allegedly less than 1% of the global trade – is being held up as an answer to a wide range of mineral-related
Peace and security in Belgian foreign policy – Key takeaways of our recent conference at the Federal Parliament
November 3, 2025On October 20th, IPIS, in collaboration with Search for Common Ground, organized a conference at the Federal Parliament on peace and security in Belgian foreign policy. This conference brought together various voices to reflect on the role Belgium can play in a world marked by complex conflicts, as well as the importance of cooperation between the 3Ds: defense, diplomacy, and development.
IPIS welcomes Loïc De Cannière as the new Chair of its Board of Directors
October 10, 2025The Board of Directors of IPIS has appointed Loïc De Cannière as new chairman. Loïc takes over this position from Honorary Ambassador Johan Swinnen, who held the chairmanship for the past 10 years.
CSOs gather in Dar es Salaam to strategize on engagement with extractive sector companies
July 1, 2025In June 2025, IPIS convened a workshop in Dar es Salaam, bringing together 11 civil society organizations (CSOs) to strengthen strategies and coordination for engaging with companies in the extractive sector. The event brought together both grassroots organizations working directly with communities living near extractive sites or infrastructure, and more policy-oriented CSOs engaged in advocacy an
KUFUATILIA expands to Tanzania: Strengthening civil society monitoring and community support in the mining sector
April 2, 2025In March 2025, IPIS successfully launched KUFUATILIA, its civil society organization (CSO) incident monitoring scheme for the mining sector, in Tanzania’s Mara region. KUFUATILIA is a community-based incident reporting system designed to facilitate real-time, structured reporting by community members through mobile phones.
Kimberley Process lifts conflict diamonds embargo on the Central African Republic – Q&A
December 4, 2024At its 2024 plenary meeting in Dubai, the Kimberley Process (KP) decided to lift the 11-year-old embargo on rough diamond exports from the Central African Republic. What were the driving factors behind this decision, and what are its implications? In this Q&A, IPIS delves into the background of the embargo, its impact and effectiveness, the rationale for its removal, and the potential consequences
The implementation of corporate human rights due diligence in mineral supply chains: Key insights from a discussion on prevention, remediation and the centrality of context, engagement and trust.
November 7, 2024On October 10, 2024, IPIS hosted a panel discussion focusing on corporate human rights due diligence (HRDD) and its implementation in mineral supply chains.
Half a year at IPIS – A Goodbye from our latest GIS Intern Simon Schweitzer
November 2, 2024I started my six-month internship as a GIS & Data Analysis Intern in September 2023. As a German bachelor student in Geography, with a specific interest in Sub-Saharan Africa, IPIS offered the perfect intellectual space to evolve my passion for conflict mapping and analysis. After being heartily welcomed in the old monastery in Antwerp, I received comprehensive training in the essential applic
Highlights from the OECD Forum on Responsible Mineral Supply Chains
May 31, 2024Last week, representatives of civil society, industry, and governments gathered at the 2024 OECD Forum on Responsible Mineral Supply Chains in Paris. Members of the IPIS team attended to stress the need for investments in artisanal mining in producer countries, reflected on what strategic mineral partnerships should look like, and underlined the importance of better monitoring the impacts of minin
Kufatilia evolves into a civil society network, now equipped with a new platform to follow up on mining incidents
January 19, 2024First annual meeting of the newly established Kufatilia network In November 2023, IPIS’ Kufatilia partners traveled to Bunia and Bukavu in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to attend the first annual meeting of the newly established Kufatilia network. Consisting of two separate conferences in Ituri and South Kivu, the meeting brought together twenty-two partnered Congolese civil s
IPIS Event: Congolese cobalt, EU regulations, and direct investment
January 9, 2024On the 30th of November, IPIS hosted its annual panel discussion, this time on current challenges facing the cobalt sector in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and the potential impact of European Union (EU) regulations to improve these. Moderated by Lotte Hoex, the panel consisted of Esperant Mwishamali, independent researcher on cobalt artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) in the DRC,
G7 targets Russian diamonds – Q&A
October 28, 2023Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which began on February 24, 2022, has led to an unprecedented proliferation of economic sanctions designed to hit Russia’s economy and drain the resources of the Russian war chest. Among these are efforts to ban Russian diamonds from Western markets. Early October, at a meeting in Brussels with Ukraine’s President Zelensky, Belgian Prime Minister de Croo stated that t
Joint NGO statement: EU Conflict Minerals Regulation failing to reach its goals
October 19, 202320 NGOs call on the EU to step up its enforcement and adopt new measures Download the statement (ENG) Téléchargez la déclaration (FR) Brussels, 19 October 2023 More than six years after it was signed into law, the EU Regulation on the responsible supply of tin, tungsten, tantalum and gold (3TG) originating from conflict-affected and high-risk areas (CAHRAs) is failing to reach its key object
Sharing the results of two years of research into eastern DR Congo’s artisanal mining sector
July 12, 2023Since 2021 and in partnership with USAID and the Congolese Ministry of Mines (through its technical service SAEMAPE), IPIS has been undertaking a large-scale project to map and analyse artisanal mining supply chains and conflict financing dynamics in eastern DRC. A restitution meeting was held in Goma (North Kivu) on June 21st, 2023 to present and discuss the results produced over the past two yea
EVENT – June 21st: Empowering African artisanal diamond mining communities for a more responsible supply chain
May 23, 2023IPIS and Diamonds for Peace invite you to a panel discussion on Wednesday 21st June 2023 in Antwerp. Panelists will share their experiences of working with artisanal diamond mining communities and views on how to include artisanal miners for a more responsible diamond supply chain. Speakers will then answer questions from the audience. Date: Wednesday 21st June 2023
My GIS internship at IPIS – A goodbye from our latest intern Philip Knirsch
March 20, 2023During the second half of 2022, I had the chance to complete a GIS internship at IPIS in Antwerp. As a student pursuing a degree in both African Studies and Geography, I was eager to apply my existing knowledge from both fields and gather valuable insights and experience. The main tasks of the GIS and data analysis team, and thus of my internship, included supporting other researchers in col
Kufatilia is now active in the cobalt-producing province of Lualaba, in the Democratic Republic of Congo
March 15, 2023After a successful implementation in the 3TG-producing provinces of North Kivu, South Kivu, Ituri, and Haut-Uele, IPIS is expanding its incident reporting and monitoring system Kufatilia to the cobalt-rich province of Lualaba.
Feedback session: Sharing the results of the data collected in Walungu, South Kivu
November 18, 2022Since 2021, IPIS undertakes another large-scale mapping effort of artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) sites in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), – in partnership with USAID and the Congolese Ministry of Mines (through its technical service SAEMAPE). The project aims to provide observers, supply chain actors and policymakers with reliable data to understand artisanal mineral
