Presentation by Mr. Antonio Pedro, Director United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), Sub-regional Office for Eastern Africa (SRO-EA). Day 1 of the 6th ICGLR-OECD-UN GoE Forum on responsible mineral supply chains, 13 November 2013. Visit: http://mneguidelines.oecd.org/icglr-oecd-un-forum-kigali-2013.htm

1. Enablers and incentives for responsible
mining and trade in the Great Lakes
region: The case of gold and 3Ts
A perspective by Antonio M.A. Pedro
Director, UNECA Sub-regional Office for Eastern Africa, Kigali,
Rwanda

2. To start with
• We don’t have to reinvent the wheel: The ICGLR Mechanism (and its
six tools) and the “Peace Security and Cooperation Framework for
DRC and the Region” are a very good starting points: Focus should be
on scaling-up interventions to maximise scale and impact
• Peace will not happen without development and development will
not happen without peace (Jim Yon Kin, Kampala, 24-5-2013)
• There have been countless studies (e.g. COMESA on War Economies)
on the nexus between NR and conflicts: They are very important
body of knowledge which have clarified some of the foundational
issues and informed the design of tools such as the Regional Initiative
on Natural Resources (RINR), Dodd Frank Act, etc- This knowledge
base should be shared and a community of practice established
• Small steps matter: It is important to build on existing success cases
at country level (Rwanda, DRC, etc)

3. To start with (2)
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ECA will render support to the formulation of the Business Plan for the ICGLR Regional Initiative against the Illegal Exploitation of Natural
Resources (RINR). The BP will discuss/review:
The evolving role of the ICGLR as an implementation body
Donor coordination with the RINR
Insufficient ownership by the ICGLR Secretariat – the initiative is strongly donor driven
Certification or audit fatigue on the part of the various stakeholders due to the multiplicity of initiatives all carrying out surveys and audits
Communication on the RINR in order to establish it as an internationally recognized certification process. The preliminary findings below
will inform the review:
-At a strategic level
The link between certification mechanisms and the ultimate goals of peace and development still needs to be reinforced as does the
ICGLR’s role in achieving these ultimate goals;
The political will to achieve compliance with the certification process and use this as a tool to eliminate conflict in the region still needs to
be reinforced;
The measures to be taken should a country be non-compliant are unclear; and
The Dodd-Frank Act and its interpretation by downstream companies require urgent action on the part of the ICGLR countries to ensure
that the region remains competitive in the world market for minerals.
-At an operational level
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There is a need to render the ICGLR database truly operational and available to member States as a tool;
It is a joint responsibility of home and host nations: We welcome the Dodd Frank Act; and
But, it is more important to domesticate international governance instruments in national policies, laws, regulations, and standards: The
Domestic Accountability Argument (The African Peer Review Mechanism can support the establishment of solid social compacts)

4. Some basics: Address structural and
sistemic issues
• Any discussion on responsible mining and trade has to be
rooted on a good understanding of the political economy of
NR exploitation. To break the nexus between natural
resources and looting of mineral wealth it is important to
understand its root causes: rentier behaviour, political
underdevelopment (when govts don’t need their taxpayers
and can insulate themselves from their constituencies), the
discourse of grievance (bad governance, mismanagement
in the sector, flagrant corruption, economic collapse,
politics of exclusion, regional imbalances, increased
destitution and frustrated expectations), and economic
drive (conflict is commercialised and privatised: the
business of war)

5. The responses should include
• Deepen understanding (through research) of the nexus of
natural resources and conflict to develop adequate
responses to challenges
• Divulge and map existing initiatives to improve coherence
and impact, and forge partnerships
• Scale-up pressure on international companies to observe
the highest corporate conduct: It is a joint responsibility of
home and host countries
• Contribute to capacity building and institutional
strengthening to scale-up enforcement of rules and
regulations
• Document and expose mal practices, profile and sanction
culprits

6. The responses should include (2)
• Support policy dialogue and facilitate consensus
building on emerging issues: The Country Mining
Vision (CMV) project
• Help develop laws and regulatory frameworks,
benchmarks, codes of conduct, and other
instruments to regulate investment, distribution of
benefits, ownership, production, consumption,
trade, etc
• Render technical assistance to member States to
design legal and regulatory frameworks that are
more in tune with current societal needs

7. The responses should include (3)
• Deploy resources and assistance to help countries
mainstream natural resources development into
poverty reduction strategies and other national
development frameworks
• Help government efforts to promote broad-based
growth and development, and diversification of
economies to reduce dependence on the natural
resources sector: The AMV/AMDC is ready to
support these effors in partnership with other
stakeholders

8. The responses should include (5)
• Promote discussions on natural resources and
conflict in high-level fora: It should not be a taboo!
• Advocate for more autonomy of oversight functions
such as ombudsman, auditors general and
parliamentary oversight committees
• Promote regional integration (e.g. EAC framework
for the development of transboundary natural
resources)
• Sharing of experiences and peer learning groups
• Popularise and domesticate international
governance instruments (e.g. the EITI) in national
processes to build a culture of accountability and an
internal appetite for good governance