UN Security Council Arria Formula Meeting on “The Global Race for Critical Minerals: Addressing Resource-Driven Insecurity in Africa”

“Thank you for the opportunity to contribute to this very important discussion. I speak today on behalf of the International Tin Supply Chain Initiative (ITSCI), a not-for-profit programme that has worked for 15 years to support responsible sourcing of tin, tantalum, and tungsten. Currently implemented in Burundi, DRC, Rwanda, and Uganda and covering the entire upstream sector from mine to smelter, ITSCI is designed to implement the OECD Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Supply Chains of Minerals from Conflict-Affected and High-Risk Areas and, we are recognised to be Fully Aligned with that Guidance.

Over the past 15 years, we have helped build a level of transparency in the Great Lakes that simply did not exist before. This starts with supporting local governments in establishing traceability of minerals from the mine level. But traceability is just one small side of our work; it is a tool to support due diligence, not an end.

Our key activity consists in continuous, on-the-ground monitoring of 3,000 artisanal and small-scale mines across the Great Lakes to independently collect and verify information; to record and report up-to-date and credible risks in mineral supply chains; supporting risk identification and mitigation; and assisting companies in meeting their due diligence obligations.

That said, ITSCI is not a certification scheme. The local context in which we work is complex: diverse actors, vast geographies, poor infrastructure, fragile security, and a vibrant ASM sector. One-off certification cannot capture rapidly evolving risks. Instead, ongoing monitoring is essential to respond to risks in a pro-active and cooperative manner.

In our experience, the root causes of violence and conflict in the region are far more complex than control over mineral resources. They include ethnicity, land rights, customary vs. state law, politics, among others.

Trust must be at the heart of any responsible sourcing initiative. Built over years of collaboration, ITSCI has helped establish and has trained over 70 multi-stakeholder committees. These serve as safe spaces for dialogue among state services, mining communities, security forces, and civil society, and are key platforms for risk mitigation.

We believe local problems primarily require local solutions. When communities help design and implement solutions, they take ownership. And with ownership comes accountability. This is why we invest in training, capacity building, and inclusive governance.

And it works. Today we see:

• ITSCI engaging daily with senior military or government officials to raise incidents and advocate for actions.
• Those officials implementing actions, such as removing illegal barriers and sanctioning soldiers interfering in trade.
• State services self-reporting misconduct of their own peers, calling for and implementing mitigation.
• Local authorities engaging with non-state armed groups leading to their voluntary withdrawals from 3T mines enabling ITSCI to roll-out at those mines.
• ITSCI areas becoming safety hubs with formalised mining activities and trade and reduced violence.

These are no longer isolated examples. They show that responsible sourcing is possible, including in high-risk environments.

Still, much remains to be done, both where ITSCI operates and beyond. Many challenges stem from broader governance issues. Addressing them requires a holistic approach involving national governments, regional bodies, and international partners.

Our 15 years of experience allow us to draw the following five high-level conclusions:

1. Mandatory due diligence, anchored in a common, internationally recognised standard – the OECD Guidance – has significantly improved shared understanding among all actors, especially amid a proliferation of overlapping standards and systems.
2. What began as a pilot 15 years ago, at a time when responsible sourcing requirements were unfamiliar and often resisted, has become the accepted norm, now defended by those same actors.
3. Due diligence must not be limited to producing countries. Responsibility spans the entire supply chain – from mine to smelter to end-user. Yet today, there is a strong imbalance: the upstream sector bears nearly all due diligence costs, while end-users ultimately benefit from these efforts without contributing financially. This disconnect undermines shared responsibility and threatens sustainability of efforts.
4. Risks will always exist, in this sector as in any other. The greatest risk is to ignore them or assume they are someone else’s responsibility. No programme will ever be perfect, but acknowledging and addressing risks is the only responsible path.
5. We must build on what works: leveraging existing mechanisms with proven track records; and remaining focused on progressive, continuous improvement.

ITSCI stands ready to continue sharing our experience – and there is much more to share – and to collaborate with all stakeholders so that mineral wealth becomes a driver of peace and development, not conflict.

Thank you.”

Mickaël Daudin, ITSCI Programme Manager