Sharing the results of two years of research into eastern DR Congo’s artisanal mining sector
Since 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
Kufatilia is now active in the cobalt-producing province of Lualaba, in the Democratic Republic of Congo
After 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
Since 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 supply chains and conflict
New 5-year project aiming to empower communities and civil society to foster justice and human rights in Tanzania’s natural resource sector
In 2022, IPIS launched new work on the human rights impact of the natural resource sector in Tanzania. Our new five-year project “Empowering Tanzanian communities and civil society to foster justice & human rights in natural resource governance” builds on the expertise IPIS has been developing on northern Tanzania’s small- and large-scale mining sector as
Feedback session: Sharing the results of the data collected in Shabunda
Since 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 supply chains and
KP CSC Highlights of 2021
At the start of this new year the Kimberley Process Civil Society Coalition looks back on the previous one with these highlights from 2021
New large-scale mapping project of artisanal and small-scale mining in eastern DRC launched
Over 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
WEBINAR ALERT: Conflict diamonds are real, real talk is rare & affected communities want answers
On 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
ONLINE EVENT: The European Regulation on Responsible Mineral Sourcing: what are the lessons learned so far?
The 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
Kufatilia wint de 2021 Stop Slavery Award
De 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
Kufatilia – Towards a more responsible gold supply chain in eastern DRC
Artisanal 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
Supporting mining cooperatives in Beni
The population of Beni Territory has been victim of deadly violence since 2014, following the presence of national and foreign armed groups such as the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) rebellion and Mai Mai groups. The stabilisation project ‘Ensemble pour Beni’ aims to address insecurity and promote stability in the territory through a variety of initiatives,
Transparent, independent and participatory: How can a platform support a network of CSO in Congo?
On the occasion of the 2020 GeONG Forum, IPIS presented its project Kufatilia. In a video, IPIS explained how this phone-based participatory platform helps Congolese CSOs reporting and monitoring incidents in the mineral supply chains.
Story Map of ASM Sites in the DRC
Explore IPIS’ eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) webmap with a guided narrative. In its new story map, IPIS presents data gathered on eastern DRC’s artisanal mining sector and highlights key information from its reports investigating the interactions between natural resources and conflict dynamics in the region.
IPIS’ project Matokeo among the winners of the ASM Grand Challenge
On October 1st, IPIS and its partner Ulula were awarded a $118,000 price for their project “Matokeo” during the ASM Grand Challenge Award Ceremony.
IPIS’ successful handover of the Regional Mineral Database to ICGLR
IPIS finalised the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR) Regional Database on Mineral Flow and successfully handed it over to the organisation. Once operational, this web-based database will be gathering and updating data on mine sites, chain of custody, and exporters.
IPIS on BNNR’s Training Day: “Natural Resources: Stakes, Consequences, Alternatives”
On Saturday, October 3rd 2020, the Belgian Natural Resources Network (BNNR) will welcome you for a day of training on the stakes of natural resources, the consequences of their exploitation and the alternatives to be built.
Kufatilia leaflet
IPIS supports an independent, transparent and participatory platform for incident reporting and community empowerment in responsible sourcing in the eastern DRC artisanal mining sector. Discover what Kufatilia is all about.
Story Map of ASM sites in Central African Republic
Discover a new approach to IPIS interactive webmap of Artisanal and Small-scale Mining (ASM) sites in Central African Republic through this interactive Story Map. In partnership with national authorities in Central African Republic (CAR) and USAID’s Artisanal Mining and Property Rights project, IPIS mapped and analysed the artisanal mining sector in the western part of
Mapping ASM sites in the Central African Republic: Official Presentation in Bangui
In January 2020, IPIS presented the results of its diagnostic report and mapping of artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) sites and gold supply-chains in western Central African Republic (CAR) to national authorities and civil society organizations during a three-days’ workshop in Bangui. The objectives of the mapping exercise are to support the CAR Ministry of
Conflict diamond certification scheme unable and unwilling to reform
“Conflict diamond certification scheme unable and unwilling to reform” Today, another three-year reform cycle of the Kimberley Process came to an end without meaningful change. Participating states could only find consensus on insignificant changes to the scope and governance of the scheme. They once again failed to effectively protect communities in diamond mining areas from
11 December 2019 – IPIS presents “The social, economic and human rights impact of mining: the case of Tanzania”
IPIS kindly invites you to a presentation of its work on mapping the social, economic and human rights impact of mining in Tanzania. IPIS will present the results of its wide-scale mobile data collection on artisanal and industrial mining in northwest Tanzania. This presentation will shed light on the nature, scope and impact of mining
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
Mapping ASM sites in the Central African Republic: An update from our field teams
Since February 2019, IPIS is partnering with the Artisanal Mining and Property Rights (AMPR) project from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to increase awareness and understanding of the opportunities and challenges of establishing responsible gold supply chains in the Central African Republic (CAR). As part of this project, IPIS is supporting the Ministry
“All eyes on the Kimberley Process for desperately needed reform on conflict diamonds”
Civil society calls on Participants to take their responsibility in preventing diamond-related conflict This week saw the end of the 2019 intersessional meeting of the Kimberley Process (KP) chaired by India. The week-long conference was the scene of discussions among delegates on the possibility of expanding the Kimberley Process’ scope to ensure that the scheme
Kimberley Process must progress reform talks on diamond violence or risk irrelevance and diamond revenue losses
Kimberley Process must progress reform talks on diamond violence or risk irrelevance and diamond revenue losses “Kimberley Process reform failure hurts us all”, say civil society and African communities As India prepares to host the last intersessional of the Kimberley Process (KP) reform cycle in Mumbai (17-21 June), the Kimberley Process Civil Society Coalition (KPCSC)
Artisanal and small-scale mining Incident Tracker in eastern DRC
Since the end of 2018 witnesses and victims of incidents and accidents related to artisanal small-scale production, transport and trading of minerals in the provinces of South-Kivu and Ituri can be reported. IPIS, in collaboration with the Bukavu based Expertise Centre on Mining Governance (CEGEMI) and Ulula,has developed a new, anonymous reporting system. View the ASM
Data sharing on the socio-economic and human rights impact of mining in Tanzania
Tanzania, May 2019 Since January 2017, IPIS has been working on a project to map the socio-economic and human rights impact of mining in northwest Tanzania. This project is supported by the Belgian development cooperation under a programme on human rights and digitisation. By using mobile technologies such as mobile data collection, GIS mapping, mobile
New project of mapping artisanal and small-scale mining sites in the Central African Republic
Following a successful training in Bangui with members from civil society organizations and field officers from the Kimberley Process focal point at the Ministry of mines and geology of the Central African Republic (CAR), IPIS will start field based research to map artisanal and small-scale gold and diamond mining sites in Western CAR. This study
Kufatilia: a new Incident Monitoring Mechanism for Gold Supply Chains
“Today a man was killed in a pit collapse in an artisanal mining site near Numbi.” Civil society organizations, working to improve living conditions of artisanal and small-scale miners in Eastern DR Congo, regularly receive this kind of text message. Capture d’écran du système de Suivis des Incidents de l’Or (SIOr) Since a few weeks,
KP Civil Society disappointed by resistance to reform in the Kimberley Process
The Kimberley Process (KP) Civil Society Coalition (CSC) pushed hard for reform in the 2018 KP Brussels Plenary, with very concrete proposals, amongst others on changing the definition of conflict diamonds beyond the limited and outdated scope of rough diamonds financing rebel movements. The CSC, together with industry (World Diamond Council) and Canada made a
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
Strengthening local voices: discover IPIS’ partner publication series “Voices from the South”
Since 2017, IPIS has been closely collaborating with civil society actors from central and east Africa who want to share their perspective on subjects related to IPIS’ work. Their hands-on experience, unique knowledge and access to information offer local insights relevant to a large audience. With the editorial support from IPIS, local partners are encouraged
Kimberley Process intersessional meeting: civil society coalition calls for meaningful reform on definition of conflict diamonds
At the Kimberley Process Intersessional Meeting, held in Antwerp from 18-22 June, the KP civil society coalition (KP CSC) called for meaningful reforms, on the scope of the definition of conflict diamonds, on the KP’s governance structures, and on internal controls on governments to ensure a clean, conflict-free and legal diamond supply chains. The KP CSC
New data on mining sites and roadblocks on IPIS’ upgraded DRC interactive web map
IPIS launches a major update of it’s DRC webmap displaying data on more than 2400 artisanal mining sites in eastern DRC and more than 800 roadblocks. Since December 2016, IPIS teams have visited more than 500 artisanal mines in eastern DRC, gathering data that has been added to IPIS’ interactive webmap. IPIS also integrated other
Mobile data collection on mining sites in Kigoma, Tanzania
IPIS is undertaking a large-scale mobile data collection exercise on operational, socio-economic and human rights aspects of artisanal and industrial mining in northwest Tanzania. Building on this baseline data, IPIS will develop and implement a phone-based incidents reporting mechanism for local and mining communities. With better and more accessible data, IPIS aims to contribute to
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.
Improving monitoring, research and dialogue on Business and Human Rights in Tanzania
IPIS was in Dar es Salaam to launch its new project on Business & Human Rights with the Tanzanian Commission for Human Rights and Good Governance (CHRAGG) and Business and Human Rights Tanzania (BHRT). Tanzania is bearing the fruits of the accelerating economic growth and rising influx of foreign direct investment (FDI), but is also
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
Training and workshop on mapping the socio-economic and human rights impact of mining in northwest Tanzania
On Monday 23 October, IPIS organised a workshop in Mwanza to launch the data collection phase of its mapping project on the socio-economic and human rights impact of mining in northwest Tanzania. This served to introduce the project and obtain additional input and feedback on the most pressing information gaps in the sector. The workshop
IPIS committed to help end mercury poisoning from artisanal gold mining
From 24 to 29 September 2017 the first meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Minamata Convention on Mercury will take place in Geneva, Switzerland. The Convention was approved by delegates from over 140 countries in 2013, and entered into force in August 2017. It is a multilateral environmental agreement addressing specific human
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 at the OECD Forum on responsible mineral supply chain
IPIS is delighted to participate in the 11th Forum on responsible mineral supply chains in Paris, from 2 to 4 May . This meeting will provide the opportunity to review and discuss the implementation of the OECD Due Diligence Guidance for Minerals, the ICGLR Regional Certification Mechanism and other initiatives to enable responsible mineral supply chains. IPIS will
Boekvoorstelling Raf Custers “De uitverkoop van Zuid-Amerika”
Op 11 mei 2017 om 19u00 is Raf Custers te gast bij IPIS om zijn boek “De uitverkoop van Zuid-Amerika” voor te stellen. Na een reis van 11 maanden door Brazilië, Uruguay, Argentinië, Chili en Bolivië beschrijft Raf Custers hoe burgers in Zuid-Amerika het opnemen tegen multinationale ondernemingen en overheden die hun natuurlijke rijkdommen, hun
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
New IPIS project on mining, human rights and digitalization in Tanzania
From late February to early March, two IPIS researchers were in Tanzania to lay the foundations for a new project funded by the Belgian development cooperation. It concerns a mapping of the socio-economic and human rights situation of artisanal and industrial mining in Northwest Tanzania. The project will run for 30 months (until June 2019),
Launch of SAESSCAM database on artisanal and small-scale mining
On February 23rd, IPIS presented in Kinshasa the results of a two years project done in partnership with Pact and Estelle Levin Ltd to support the activities of SAESSCAM (“Service d’accompagnement et d’encadrement du Small-scale mining”), a service of Congolese Ministry of mines. During this project IPIS developed and launched SAESSCAM ASM database, a database
Training on cartography and artisanal mine site inspections in Mambasa
French version below – version française ci-dessous Training on cartography and artisanal mine site inspections – Mambasa, Ituri, DRCongo From 10 to 14 December 2016, IPIS organised a training on cartography and artisanal mine site inspections in Mambasa, Ituri. The aim of this training was to launch and prepare the ground for IPIS’ artisanal gold
Het conflict in de Centraal-Afrikaanse Republiek in kaart gebracht.
IPIS organiseert op dinsdag 20 december een filmvoorstelling en panelgesprek over het aanhoudende conflict in de Centraal-Afrikaanse Republiek. De Centraal-Afrikaanse Republiek (CAR) was de voorbije jaren het toneel van een bloedig conflict, een staatsgreep en voortdurend geweld. Het onderzoekscentrum IPIS analyseerde de motieven van de partijen bij het conflict, de conflictdynamiek, de roadblocks en het belang van natuurlijke rijkdommen.
SAESSCAM database on artisanal and small-scale mining
As part of a project to support good governance in the artisanal and small-scale mining sector in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), IPIS has delivered a functional web application and database for SAESSCAM agents to record production data from artisanal mining sites as well as a publicly accessible interactive webmap. IPIS is engaged in
Forum on Conflict Minerals Supply Chain Compliance and Transparency (30 Nov – 2 Dec 2016)
Business Intelligence Services (BIS group) announces the Conflict Minerals Supply Chain Compliance and Transparency Forum taking place on 30thNovember – 2nd December 2016, in Berlin, Germany. The meeting will focus on the industry and supplier engagement to eliminate conflict minerals, concepts and practice of collaboration among and across industries, methods for risk mapping for affected
A fresh look at IPIS data during the DataMinds Analytic-A-Thon
IPIS was one of the NGO’s participating in the first Belgian DataMinds Analytic-A-Thon in the weekend of 22 October. The Analytic-A-Thon is a new event format organised by Cognizant, an international consulting firm, that brings together its employees and local NGO’s. About 25 young and bright consultants, equipped with specialised tools for data visualisation (including
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.
Bonne gouvernance des ressources naturelles: IPIS / DPDDA Atelier pour la société civile, Bangui
Du 29 juin au 1er juillet 2016 IPIS a animé un atelier pour 25 organisations locales de la société civile à Bangui (République centrafricaine). (English below) La formation a été co-organisée avec le projet de l’USAID, Droit de propriété et Développement du diamant artisanal (DPDDA II). Les objectifs de cet atelier étaient de sensibiliser et d’améliorer la
OECD Forum on Responsible Minerals
Last week, three of our researchers were in Paris to represent IPIS at the 10th ICGLR-OECD-UN GoE Forum on Responsible Mineral Supply Chains. IPIS presented its three year project of mapping artisanal mining sites in Eastern DRC, a joint OECD-IPIS report on Congo mineral supply chains as well as our latest report on the Tourmaline
Presentation of SAESSCAM database on Artisanal and Small-scale Mining
From November 17 to 19, IPIS presented its work during a multi stakeholder meeting in Kinshasa as part of a project to support artisanal and small scale mining in DRC. In partnership with Pact and Estelle Levin LTD, IPIS has provided capacity reinforcement for the Service d’Assistance et d’Encadrement du Small Scale Mining (SAESSCAM), a
Exploitations artisanales et à petite échelle en RD Congo
– English below – Du 23 au 26 février, IPIS a participé au séminaire de lancement d’un nouveau projet “d’Elaboration d’un document stratégique sur les exploitations artisanales et à petite échelle”. En partenariat avec Pact et Estelle Levin LTD, IPIS travaille au renforcement des capacités du Service d’Assistance et d’Encadrement du Small Scale Mining (SAESSCAM)
Op 17 november 2014 organiseert IPIS een voorstelling van de documentaire Virunga, in Filmhuis Klappei in Antwerpen.
Virunga is een nationaal park in het oosten van de Democratische Republiek Congo. Doordat het park tegen de grens van Uganda en Rwanda ligt moeten de Afrikaanse parkwachters een grote strijd voeren. De bijna uitgestorven berggorilla’s worden namelijk bedreigd door stropers, milities en de oprukkende olie industrie. De afgelopen maanden is Virunga al op diverse