IPIS Event: Congolese cobalt, EU regulations, and direct investment

January 9, 2024

On 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,


Due diligence and the risk of disengagement: Experiences from the mineral sector and a way forward for the CSDDD

December 11, 2023

The Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD) is currently being negotiated by the European institutions. This long-awaited piece of legislation is expected to be finalised by early 2024. With the aim of holding companies operating in the EU accountable for the adverse human rights and environmental impacts of their operations and the impacts across their value chains, the Directive


Petra Diamonds’ attempts to come clean with its tarnished past in Tanzania

November 9, 2023

Challenges in securing access to remedy and restoring community relations after serious human rights abuse at the Williamson diamond mine  This report assesses the efforts by Petra Diamonds to restore community relations and remediate the legacy of serious human rights abuse at its Williamson diamond mine in Tanzania.  Download the report The Williamson Diamonds mine, adjacent villages a


G7 targets Russian diamonds – Q&A

October 28, 2023

Russia’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, 2023

20 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


The EU Conflict Minerals Regulation: High stakes, disappointing results

October 19, 2023

The EU Regulation on the responsible supply of tin, tungsten, tantalum and gold (3TG) originating from conflict-affected and high-risk areas (CAHRAs) came into full force on 1 January 2021. Also known as the “Conflict Minerals” or “Responsible Minerals” Regulation, it aims to break the link between the exploitation and trade in 3TG on the one hand, and conflict financing on the othe


From laggard to leader? Zimbabwe’s turbulent diamond history

January 31, 2023

This IPIS Insight provides background and context to Zimbabwe’s current Kimberley Process chairmanship, both historically and in light of whether it might present opportunities for government and corporate actors in the country to exorcise their demons.


Promoting civic space in Tanzania’s extractive sector governance

November 2, 2022

Tanzania is endowed with significant mineral resources and the extractive sector forms an important part of the country’s formal and informal economy. The extractive sectors is particularly diverse and it includes artisanal, small, medium, and large-scale mining of high-value minerals such as  gold,  diamonds  and  gemstones, the  widespread extraction of industrial minerals such as limestone, gyp


Joint statement on conflict & due diligence legislation

October 14, 2022

The forthcoming EU due diligence Directive is lacking in its provisions for companies that are active in conflict affected areas and should be amended to align better with the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. Together with 50+ signatories, IPIS calls for a heightened, conflict-sensitive due diligence process for high-risk areas that includes compliance with international humanit


The European Regulation on Responsible Mineral Sourcing: what are the lessons learned so far?

September 28, 2022

The 1st of January 2021 marked the entry into force of the European Regulation on Responsible Sourcing of tin, tungsten tantalum and gold (3TG) from conflict-affected and high-risk areas (EU CMR or Regulation). The objective of the Regulation is to oblige European companies to carry out due diligence checks on their suppliers up-to the middle of the supply chain in order to minimize and manage the


Empowering Tanzanian communities and civil society to foster justice & human rights in natural resource governance

September 20, 2022

In Tanzania, the country’s natural resource wealth is considered a key driver of development. Despite this potential for “doing good”, natural resource extraction has so far yielded little of the promised benefits to local populations. In fact, the narrow economic focus on resource governance in combination with reduced civic space and respect for human rights in the country tend to worsen the vul


New 5-year project aiming to empower communities and civil society to foster justice and human rights in Tanzania’s natural resource sector

September 16, 2022

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 well as the implementation and monitor


Op-ed: Belgium’s inaction on diamond trade with Russia is not justifiable

April 26, 2022

This 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


Russian diamonds and the war in Ukraine 

April 4, 2022

In this Insight, IPIS provides background and analysis on several aspects of the Russian diamond sector, what links it has to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and how the international business and political community is seeking an adequate response to the challenges this raises.   The Russian invasion of Ukraine, that started on 24 February 2022, has led to international outrage. Russ


Grassroots research on local diamond mining impact

March 1, 2022

During 2021, IPIS supported members of the Kimberley Process Civil Society Coalition (KP CSC) in a series of grassroots studies on the human rights, socio-economic and environmental impact of diamond mining in eight African countries. IPIS provided online trainings on field survey methodology as well as editorial support to ten civil society organisations who carried out independent field res


KP CSC Highlights of 2021

January 12, 2022

At the start of this new year the Kimberley Process Civil Society Coalition looks back on the previous one with these highlights from 2021


WEBINAR ALERT: Conflict diamonds are real, real talk is rare & affected communities want answers

October 8, 2021

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 continue engaging with the Coalition directly and learn more about what


Webmap “Business and Human Rights in Tanzania”

August 18, 2021

This interactive map presents an overview of the main project activities and output that IPIS and its project partners CHRAGG and BHRT have delivered as part of their project to “Improve monitoring, research and dialogue on Business and Human Rights in Tanzania ”. This project ran from December 2017 until February 2021. The map locates project activities in Tanzania and allows you to find out more


IPIS Due Diligence series – Comparative analysis between cobalt and 3T sourcing from the DRC

July 26, 2021

This report compares the supply chains and traceability of 3T and cobalt ores in order to identify similarities, differences, and lessons learned from the decade of 3T experience in responsible sourcing, for the emerging cobalt initiatives.   The experience of regulating responsible sourcing in the 3T sector has taught us the importance of engaging producing countries from the start of the draftin


An updated human rights complaint system for Tanzania

July 20, 2021

Over 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,