Catholic Community of Pleasanton

Social Justice Newsletter Archive

Selected Article on Peace

 

U.S. Acts to End Cause of Conflict in Democratic Republic of Congo

 

The following are two excerpts from an article in the Washington Post, July 21, 2010, by Mary Beth Sheridan.

 

A passage in the new U.S. Financial Reform Bill will require thousands of U.S. companies to disclose what steps they are taking to ensure that their products, including laptops, cellphones and medical devices, don't contain "conflict minerals" from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The sale of such minerals has fueled a nearly 15-year war that has been marked byhorrific sexual violence, http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/08/10/AR2009081000492.html

 

The new law requires American companies to submit an annual report to the Securities and Exchange Commission disclosing whether their products contain gold, tin, tungsten or tantalum from Congo or adjacent countries. If so, they have to describe what measures they are taking to trace the minerals' origin.
 

 

The following are excerpts from an article in the Africa Faith and Justice Network eBulletin for September 29, 2010. The original material for the article apparently came from a translation of an address in French of a representation of Catholic Relief Services speaking in the Democratic Republic of Congo to government and religious leaders: http://afjn.org/focus-campaigns/promote-peace-d-r-congo/91-legislative-watch-dr-congo/868-implications-of-the-usa-us-law-against-conflicts-of-minerals-in-the-drc.html

 

[T]he U.S. Government will also develop a plan to assist companies to establish the origin and chain of supply of minerals...

 

American companies that are registered with United States' Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) are required to pay attention to the origin of minerals and reflect on the impact of their purchases on the people of the DRC. They will be forced to disclose whether they use minerals that are mined in conflict areas in the DRC or a neighboring country. Companies that use minerals associated with conflict in one of these countries must submit to the SEC:

  • A description of their efforts to establish the origin and traceability of these minerals
  • An independent audit of their report
  • The description of components contained in these minerals associated with conflicts, the country and, if possible, the mine of origin, and the names of the processing sites of these minerals.

Their products can be labeled "DRC Conflict Free" if they do not contain any ore from which armed groups in DRC, or in a neighboring country could profit directly or indirect. Companies will be forced to question the "refiners" as to the origin of ores. This positive pressure should lead to decrease in demand from mines in conflict zones.