Kimberley Process lifts conflict diamonds embargo on the Central African Republic – Q&A
December 4, 2024At its 2024 plenary meeting in Dubai, the Kimberley Process (KP) decided to lift the 11-year-old embargo on rough diamond exports from the Central African Republic. What were the driving factors behind this decision, and what are its implications?In this Q&A, IPIS delves into the background of the embargo, its impact and effectiveness, the rationale for its removal, and the potential consequen
Insecurity in Niger in the wake of the junta’s rise to power: A persistent and growing challenge
December 3, 2024Ce briefing est aussi disponible en français. On 26 July 2023, General Abdourahamane Tiani overthrew Niger’s democratically-elected president, Mohamed Bazoum, on the pretext that the government had mishandled the economy and had failed to make sufficient progress against the country’s various insurgencies.1 This Friday, 6 December 2024, will mark the junta’s 500th day in power. Using attacks again
SAVE THE DATE – December 12th – Remediation in action for responsible mining
November 18, 2024Remediation in action for responsible mining: A roundtable conversation on learnings, challenges and what’s needed next EU Raw Materials Week side event Join us for a conversation on the role of non-judicial remedy in responsible mining, hosted by IPIS and the Initiative for Responsible Mining Assurance (IRMA) as a side event to the EU Raw Materials Week 2024. In this participato
Public benefit or burden: Land acquisition for the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) and its impact on agro-pastoral communities in Tanzania
October 15, 2024Over the past year, momentum has been building in Tanzania for the construction of the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP). This 1,443 km-long pipeline will transport oil from the west of Uganda (Hoima district) to export facilities on Tanzania’s Indian Ocean coast in Tanga region. In December 2023, the project – a partnership between the governments of Uganda and Tanzania (through their natio
Revisiting responsible sourcing: Lessons from the Democratic Republic of Congo
September 16, 2024Thirteen years ago, in May 2011, IPIS participated in the very first meeting in Paris on implementing the newly adopted OECD Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Supply Chains of Minerals from Conflict-Affected and High-Risk Areas. At this relatively small gathering – organized by the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR), the OECD and the UN Group of Experts on the Democrat
Annual Report 2023
September 9, 2024In 2023, the international scene was marked by several high-intensity armed conflicts, with peace-building efforts and diplomacy being cast aside by military solutions and a new global arms race. Peace actors saw their window to engage — to bring their perspective on conflict resolution — greatly reduced. In the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), violence in the east further escalated […]
Voices from Tanzania – Social and economic impacts of land acquisition by Barrick North Mara Gold Mine in Tanzania: A case study of Komarera, Kewanja and Mjini Kati villages in Tarime District
June 19, 2024In Tanzania, the need for land has increased dramatically in recent years, to accommodate different types of investment that push for the country’s industrialization, economic growth and development. Despite the existence of well-established procedures and legal provisions, challenges persist within Tanzania regarding land acquisition […]
Voices from Tanzania – The social-economic impact of land acquisition practices related to Bulyanhulu Gold Mine on communities in Msalala district council, Shinyanga region
June 17, 2024This publication is part of IPIS’ Voices from Tanzania series and its edition on “The impact of land acquisition practices in the extractive sectors of northern Tanzania”. In their Voices from Tanzania study Rafiki SDO assesses the socio-economic impacts of land acquisition practices by the Bulyanhulu gold mine on 2 villages in Msalala district council, Shinyanga region. Download the report (EN) P
Voices from Tanzania – Small-scale producers’ awareness and involvement in the process of land acquisition for the East Africa Crude Oil Pipeline: The case study of Kilindi district in Tanga region
June 11, 2024This publication is part of IPIS’ Voices from Tanzania series and its edition on “The impact of land acquisition practices in the extractive sectors of northern Tanzania”. In their Voices from Tanzania study HAKIARDHI assesses the level of awareness and involvement of small-scale producers in the land acquisition processes for the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) in 2 villages of Kilin
Voices from Tanzania – The impact of land acquisition processes for the East African Crude Oil Pipeline project on communities in Kiteto district, Manyara region
June 5, 2024This publication is part of IPIS’ Voices from Tanzania series and its edition on “The impact of land acquisition practices in the extractive sectors of northern Tanzania”. In their Voices from Tanzania study Kinnapa Development Programme discusses the impact of land acquisition processes for the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) project on 3 village communities in Kiteto district, Manyara re
Belgian arms exports to Israel: The discrepancy between words and deeds in export control policy
March 5, 2024In this report, Vredesactie and IPIS take a critical look at Belgium’s policy on the export and transit of defense-related goods and dual-use goods to Israel. The new Gaza war puts this arms trade policy back in the spotlight. The regional governments, responsible for arms trade, regularly claim to assume the highest standards. And according to current policies, Belgium does indeed have a strin
A tale of two diamond certification schemes: the Kimberley Process and the G7’s Russian diamond ban
January 22, 2024The diamond trade is today faced with arguably the biggest crisis since the blood diamond controversy of the late 1990s. Once again this has to do with widespread concern that proceeds from mining and trading this precious symbol of eternal love are being used to finance conflict. This time the source of controversy are Russian diamonds, which represent about one third of the global production, an
IPIS Event: Congolese cobalt, EU regulations, and direct investment
January 9, 2024On 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,
Access to remedy and extractive industries: The challenges of legal aid providers in Tanzania
December 20, 2023DARUBINI – Tanzania Briefing – December 2023 Tanzania’s rich mineral reserves and thriving extractive industries provide a promise of economic prosperity and development. However, when these industries cause harm to both surrounding communities and environments, access to remedy often remains difficult. In this briefing, IPIS and its partners address challenges facing Legal Aid Providers (LA
Petra Diamonds’ attempts to come clean with its tarnished past in Tanzania
November 9, 2023Challenges 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
The EU Critical Raw Materials Act: Handshakes, extracting, processing and recycling. Why not reducing and prioritizing?
November 7, 2023The European continent struggles with the dilemma to secure its raw material supply chain for the sake of its green transition and energy sovereignty, at the cost of more pollution, ecosystem destruction and handshakes with undemocratic resource-rich countries. The Critical Raw Materials Act (CRM Act) proposes a strategy to secure a sustainable supply of critical raw materials, and is currently ne
G7 targets Russian diamonds – Q&A
October 28, 2023Russia’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, 202320 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, 2023The 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
Due diligence responsibilities of businesses involved in small arms and light weapons
September 18, 2023IPIS and the International Action Network on Small Arms (IANSA) have developed a Fact sheet on “Due Diligence Responsibilities of Businesses Involved in Small Arms and Light Weapons.” For over a decade, the international community has been developing guidelines for responsible business conduct for States and companies to prevent, address and remedy human rights abuses committed in business operati
