
“The Blue Mine” as a new status for qualifying mine sites in DRC. The result of successful advocacy by the Madini Project
On November 12th 2021, the National Minister of Mines of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Madam Antoinette N’Samba Kalambayi, signed the ministerial decree instituting a new status for the qualification /validation for artisanal mining sites: the Blue Status. Mine site qualification and validation (in line with the ICGLR’s Regional Certification Mechanism ) is a

IPIS welcomes University of Antwerp Summer School for workshop on artisanal diamond mining
On August 28th, 2019, 21 students from the University of Antwerp’s ‘Mine to Finger’ Summer School on diamonds were engaged on “The use of digital maps and open data in the analysis of artisanal mining” with a case-study of the Central African Republic (CAR). The students, with diverse backgrounds, engaged in critical and nuanced discussions

Working on conflict mapping through GIS – A goodbye from our latest GIS intern
I arrived at IPIS in January of this year with the purpose to further improve my GIS skills and work on the topic of conflict mapping. Entering the IPIS premises and meeting the staff, my first impression of IPIS was that of a friendly and professional organization. They are lucky enough to be housed in

Pastoralism in the Central African Republic conflict: new IPIS research launched
With thorough conflict mapping and analysis of the drivers and actors of conflict in the Central African Republic, IPIS has contributed to a better understanding of the Central African Republic conflict. In 2019, IPIS will be focussing on one particular activity that generates conflict on the one hand, but is fundamental for strengthening peace on

Kimberley Process Civil Society Coalition calls on all Members to deliver on improving global diamond governance
Reform is high on the agenda of this year’s Kimberley Process Plenary under EU Chairmanship. The Kimberley Process – once a pioneering tripartite effort to stop diamonds from financing rebel groups – is struggling to provide an adequate answer to numerous human rights challenges associated with the diamond sector today. Aware of these enormous challenges,

22 November – IPIS panel discussion on the Central African Republic
Central African Republic: A Conflict Mapping IPIS kindly invites you to a panel discussion on the conflict in the Central African Republic on Thursday November 22, 4:30pm at the Jacqmotte Conference Center, Hoogstraat/Rue Haute 139 in Brussels. Please register at events@ipisresearch.be Programme 4:30 – Welcome Honorary Ambassador Johan Swinnen, Chair IPIS 4:40 –

IPIS welcomes UA Summer School students for workshop on responsible sourcing using IPIS maps
On September 6th, 30 students from the University of Antwerp ‘Mine to Finger’ Summer School on diamonds participated in a responsible sourcing workshop organised by IPIS. They explored the upstream context of the diamond supply chain in Central African Republic (CAR) and the Democratic Republic Congo (DRC) using IPIS webmaps. They engaged in a critical

Training and workshop on mapping artisanal mining in Eastern DRC
(French version below) 2373 Mining sites visited, including 470 visits in the last thirteen months. 300 Roadblocks visited on a total of 798 mapped roadblocks. More than 18 000 km travelled by plane, bus, motorbikes and by foot… These are a few of the impressive results achieved by the twelve IPIS researchers in Eastern DRC.

Roadblock rebels: IPIS maps important mechanism of conflict funding in Central Africa
IPIS puts roadblocks on the map as key mechanism of conflict funding besides natural resources, revealing its devastating scope in funding armed actors in Democratic Republic of Congo and Central African Republic Mapping over a thousand roadblocks, two IPIS reports released today have uncovered the shocking extent of armed predation on trade routes in conflict-ridden

New Mapathon with special focus on DRC National Parks at IPIS
IPIS, Missing Maps and OpenStreetMap Belgium organise another Missing Maps Mapathon on Wednesday December 6, in the IPIS library. Why do we organise this? NGOs working in the South need decent maps in order to reach people who need help. However, in many places the map is not yet complete. That’s why we need your help! How

Capacity enhancement workshop on cartography with DRC mining authorities
Capacity enhancement workshop on cartography with DRC mining authorities In the framework of its long standing partnership with DRC mining authorities, IPIS held a workshop in Kinshasa from May 8th to 12th, engaging with technical staff of ‘Cadastre Minier’, ‘SAESSCAM’ and ‘Division des mines’. The workshop focussed on Open Source solutions for mapping and web-mapping,

IPIS opens up its data!
Data collection on peace, development and human rights is an essential part of the research work we do at IPIS. Because we believe in the power of Open Data to stimulate research that contributes to our vision of durable peace, sustainable development and the fulfilment of human rights, we are happy to announce that we

IPIS hosts new Missing Maps Mapathon with special focus on DRC National Parks
IPIS, Missing Maps and OpenStreetMap Belgium organise another Missing Maps Mapathon on Wednesday April 26, in the IPIS library. Why do we organise this? NGOs working in the South need decent maps in order to reach people who need help. However, in many places the map is not yet complete. That’s why we need your help! How do

Presentation of Gephi, an open source network visualisation tool
During the GeONG 2016 conference organised by CartONG in Chambery from 17th to 19th October, IPIS researcher AlexandreJaillon animated a workshop on Gephi, an open-source network visualisation tool, used by IPIS to display power relationships between key stakeholders in Eastern DRC. IPIS uses Gephi, an interactive network visualisation tool, to map and visualize power dynamics

Missing Maps Mapathon / Wednesday, 26 October 2016
IPIS, Missing Maps and OpenStreetMap Belgium organise another Missing Maps MAPATHON on Wednesday October 26, at the IPIS library! IPIS Research and Openstreetmap Belgium invite you to come map for the Missing Maps project with us. By doing so, you will learn how to create the open maps that make the work of NGOs like Doctors Without Borders or

Design of the ICGLR regional database on mineral flows
The Executive Secretariat of the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR), with the financial support of Partnership Africa Canada (PAC), has commissioned a consultancy to design the architecture of the ICGLR Regional Database on mineral flows, one of the six tools of the Regional Initiative on Natural Resources (Lusaka declaration). Estelle Levin Ltd.

Missing Maps mapathon / Wednesday, 29 June 2016
IPIS, Missing Maps and OpenStreetMap Belgium organise another Missing Maps MAPATHON on Wednesday, June 29, at the IPIS library! IPIS Research and Openstreetmap Belgium invite you to come map for the Missing Maps project with us. By doing so, you will learn how to create the open maps that make the work of NGOs like Doctors Without

Missing Maps mapathon / Wednesday, 23 March 2016
IPIS, Missing Maps and OpenStreetMap Belgium organise the mapping event ‘Missing Maps mapathon’ on Wednesday March 23 at the IPIS library! IPIS Research and Openstreetmap Belgium invite you to come map for the Missing Maps project with us. Doing so, you will learn how to create the open maps that make the work of NGOs like

COMING SOON! Missing Maps mapathon / Wednesday, 9 December 2015
IPIS, Missing Maps and OpenStreetMap Belgium organise the mapping event ‘Missing Maps mapathon’ on Wednesday December 9th at the IPIS library! The Missing Maps project is an open collaboration between the Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team (HOT), Doctors without Borders UK, and the British and American Red Cross. The goal of the project is to map the

