Press release: Universal basic income project expands to more regions in the Democratic Republic of Congo
12 mei 2022Eight’s basic income project, in collaboration with IPIS, the Belgian Development Cooperation, Fairphone, announces the expansion of its basic income pilot project in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
Timeline of the conflict in Tigray
28 april 2022In February of 2022, Peter Danssaert created a detailed timeline of the conflict in Tigray dating from 1991 to 2022. The timeline was used by participants of a webinar on the Tigray conflict organised by Union Chapel. The webinar took place on April 28th, 2022 but can still be viewed online. October 20, 2022 there will be a new event by Union Chapel on the current situation in Tigray. You can regi
Op-ed: Belgium’s inaction on diamond trade with Russia is not justifiable
26 april 2022This op-ed was published in Dutch in De Standaard on April 12, 2022 — Hans Merket The Antwerp diamond hub presents itself as the most ethical in the world. This does not sit well with turning a blind eye on the war in Ukraine. There are no arguments left to justify doing nothing about the flow of income that the Russian regime receives from the diamond trade with Belgium. Both the Antwerp diamond
A goodbye from our latest student assistants in the GIS and data Team
7 april 2022At the end of 2021, as part of a university course on peace research, I started diving into the history of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and its current production of minerals. During this research I came across IPIS and its Open Data Dashboard, which impressed me a lot. When I saw that there was a student job opportunity for the GIS and data analysis team, I applied; and beginning of 202
KP CSC Highlights of 2021
12 januari 2022At the start of this new year the Kimberley Process Civil Society Coalition looks back on the previous one with these highlights from 2021
“The Blue Mine” as a new status for qualifying mine sites in DRC. The result of successful advocacy by the Madini Project
23 november 2021On 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 mandatory process in the DRC
New large-scale mapping project of artisanal and small-scale mining in eastern DRC launched
10 november 2021Over the next two years, IPIS – in partnership with USAID, Tetra Tech and the Congolese Ministry of Mines (SAEMAPE) – will undertake a large-scale mapping effort of artisanal and small-scale mining sites in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), with the aim to provide observers, suppliers and policymakers with reliable data to understand artisanal mineral supply chains and conflict finan
WEBINAR ALERT: Conflict diamonds are real, real talk is rare & affected communities want answers
8 oktober 2021On 20 October 2021, the Kimberley Process Civil Society Coalition (KP CSC) is convening its second webinar of 2021 in the conversation on “Conflict diamonds are real, real talk is rare”. IPIS, as part of the KP CSC, is co-hosting this 90-minute webinar. The webinar is an opportunity for the diamond and jewellery industries to continue engaging with the Coalition directly and learn more about what
ONLINE EVENT: The European Regulation on Responsible Mineral Sourcing: what are the lessons learned so far?
14 september 2021The main takeaways from the workshop and the conference have been summarized in a report that can be downloaded here. From 21 to 28 September 2021, the European Network for Central Africa (EurAc), Germanwatch, IPIS, Justice & Paix, the MADINI project, Ecumenical Network for Central Africa (ÖNZ) will host an online conference bringing together local and European civil society representatives, E
An updated human rights complaint system for Tanzania
20 juli 2021Over the past three years, IPIS has been collaborating with Tanzania’s Commission for Human Rights and Good Governance (CHRAGG) to create a new system that allows the public to lodge human rights grievances with CHRAGG. This work is part of the EU-funded project “Improving monitoring, research and dialogue on Business and Human Rights in Tanzania”. As Tanzania’s National Human Rights Institution,
Knowing your rights: awareness raising on land and environmental rights and access to justice in rural communities of Tanzania
3 mei 2021As part of the EU-funded project “Improving monitoring, research and dialogue on Business and Human Rights in Tanzania”, Business and Human Rights Tanzania (BHRT) has been conducting public education campaigns in remote rural areas of Tanzania. This activity aimed to support individuals and communities affected by or vulnerable to corporate harm to claim their rights and access justice in order to
Kufatilia wint de 2021 Stop Slavery Award
12 maart 2021De 2021 Stop Slavery Award, toegekend door de Thomson Reuters Foundation, is toegekend aan Ulula voor het project Kufatilia, in de categorie “samenwerking”. Kufatilia is een tracker voor incidenten in de artisanale en kleinschalige mijnbouw (ASM), ontwikkeld door IPIS en mogelijk gemaakt door Ulula. Het is een instrument voor Congolese maatschappelijke organisaties om incidenten in Oost-Congo op e
Third Multi-Stakeholder Conference on Business and Human Rights in Tanzania stresses the need for awareness, stakeholder engagement and a National Action Plan
24 februari 2021On the 17th of February 2021, around 80 key stakeholders from civil society, communities, business and government agencies from Tanzania mainland and Zanzibar gathered at the Holiday Inn Hotel in Dar es Salaam for the third annual multi-stakeholder conference on Business & Human Rights in Tanzania. This event was organised by the Tanzanian Commission for Human Rights and Good Governa
Discussing Business and Human Rights in Tanzania: stakeholder workshops
23 februari 2021On 16 February 2021, Business and Human Rights Tanzania (BHRT), the International Peace Information Service (IPIS) and the Commission for Human Rights and good Goverance (CHRAGG) held a series of bilateral consultations and workshops with civil society and business stakeholders in preparation of the third annual Multi-stakeholder Conference on Business and Human Rights in Tanzania, planned on 17 F
Conflict diamonds are real, real talk is rare
12 februari 2021IPIS is a member of the Kimberley Process Civil Society Coalition which works for better rights of communities affected by diamond mining. A new video of the Coalition highlights that conflict diamonds are not a thing of the past. The video shows jewelers the testimonies of Progress, Héritier and Ibrahim, community members from Zimbabwe, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Sierra Leone, who suffe
Stakeholder Consultation on the Belgian National Baseline Assessment on Business & Human Rights
3 februari 2021On February 10, 2021, HIVA-KU Leuven, The Law and Development Research Group and IPIS will hold a stakeholder consultation on the Belgian National Baseline Assessment on Business & Human Rights. Discover the programme and register here.
Agoria Academy on Supply Chain Due Diligence
1 februari 2021On the first of January 2021 the EU Regulation on Responsible Minerals entered into force. It is hence high time for businesses in Europe to prepare for the mandatory due diligence requirements of the Regulation. On 21st of January IPIS delivered a half-day training session to members of Agoria, the federation for the Belgian technology sector. This Agoria Academy on Supply Chain Due Diligence cov
The relevance of the EU Conflict Minerals Regulation for 3TG producing countries
17 december 2020The EU Conflict Minerals Regulation will come into force on January 1, 2021. From this date, European 3TG importers will need to carry out due diligence to identify, manage and report on risks in their supply chains. Concerned companies, the Member State Competent Authorities, the EU Commission and producing countries all need to make the necessary adjustments in the coming months. Civil Society O
Kufatilia – Towards a more responsible gold supply chain in eastern DRC
10 december 2020Artisanal and small-scale gold is widely used in the electronics industry. But gold is also the predominant conflict mineral in eastern Congo, where it is illegally traded to fund armed actors. Artisanal gold is difficult to trace, and because of its volume it can be easily smuggled. Few gold mines in eastern Congo are officially qualified, and traceability initiatives for gold remain largely expl
Ondersteuning van mijnbouwcoöperaties in Beni
9 november 2020De bevolking van Beni Territory is sinds 2014 slachtoffer van dodelijk geweld, na de aanwezigheid van nationale en buitenlandse gewapende groepen zoals de geallieerde democratische strijdkrachten (ADF) rebellie en Mai Mai groepen. Het stabilisatieproject ‘Ensemble pour Beni’ heeft tot doel de onveiligheid aan te pakken en de stabiliteit in het gebied te bevorderen door middel van verschillende ini
