The Right to Water and Sanitation: A Practical Guide

June 1, 2015

This guide is designed to raise awareness on the importance of the right to water and sanitation. It is addressed to those who work at the grassroots, and aims at helping them with practical ways to address the challenges of poverty and water issues. The guide adopts a bottom-up approach to highlight the steps that citizens and communities can take together with governments to address water and sa


Initiatives en matière de ‘minerais de conflit’ en RD Congo: perceptions des communautés minières locales

December 16, 2013

L’exploitation minière est une importante source de revenus pour de nombreuses communautés dans l’est de la République démocratique du Congo (RDC). Cette même richesse minière joue cependant aussi un rôle majeur dans la persistance de l’insécurité dans certaines parties du pays. Les revenus générés par le commerce des minerais fournissent des moyens d’opération aux groupes armés ainsi qu’un financ


In search of clean water: human rights and the mining industry in Katanga, DRC

November 26, 2013

Today, around 1,8 billion people in the world do not have access to safe water. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the most water-rich country in Africa, 51 million people lack access to potable water; only 26% of the population has access to safe drinking water. This is one of the lowest access rates in the world. In the Katanga province, rich in cobalt and copper, some industrial mining co


‘Conflict Minerals’ initiatives in DR Congo: Perceptions of local mining communities

November 12, 2013

The exploitation of minerals is an important source of income for many communities in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Yet this mineral wealth also plays a significant role in the continuation of insecurity in parts of the country. Revenues from mineral trade have given armed groups the means to operate, and provided off-budget funding to (often poorly paid) state security forces. Whils