ITSCI has issued its 2021/2022 Incident Review. The report provides an overview of our achievements working with stakeholders in risk mitigation relating to mineral supply chains from Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Rwanda and Uganda from 1st November 2021 to 31st October 2022. Note no incident was recorded in Uganda during the reporting period.
The ITSCI Programme has extensive experience supporting companies, governments and civil society in the identification and mitigation of risks associated with 3T minerals supply chains. In June 2023, a second independent Alignment Assessment concluded ITSCI is Fully Aligned with the OECD Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Supply Chains of Minerals from Conflict-Affected and High-Risk Areas (CAHRAs). We support companies performing due diligence according to those expectations.
ITSCI facilitates traceability to identify, verify, and report risks as a critical part of our incident management system. Whistleblowing is also a critical component of the incident reporting mechanism. We communicate incidents along the supply chain, recommend mitigation actions, and facilitate the discussion of mitigation among local stakeholders. In addition, we follow up and report on the progress of mitigation.
Salient indicators of ITSCI Programme implementation from 1st November 2020 to 31st October 2022 follow.
• 2,682 monitored mine sites
• 860 average on the ground visits per month
• 804,576 mineral transactions
• 603 whistle-blower calls
• 1,613 incidents opened
Of the 1,613 incidents opened during the reporting period, 159 were categorised as Level 1 seriousness with potential association with human rights abuses, the involvement of non-state armed groups, illegal taxation, or involvement in mineral business by rogue individuals of state armed groups.
Of the 159 incidents, 49 were categorised as High Risk with relevance for U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission reporting. Of these incidents 35 are Level 1 and 14 are Level 2. At the end of the reporting period 17 of the High-Risk incidents were still open and under mitigation and ITSCI will continue to monitor the incidents in accordance with ITSCI procedures.
ITSCI has 32 indicators of outcomes from incident management which for the purpose of simplification are aggregated into 7 categories. The proportion of outcomes for the 7 incident categories during the current reporting period follow.
• 40% Due Diligence Improvements
• 15% Governance and Security Improvements
• 0% Mine/Company/Mineral Suspension or Seizure
• 22% Awareness-Raising and Mediation
• 5% Human Rights/Health and Safety Risk Mitigation
Overall, the outcomes of incident management are similar to the previous reporting period.
