"Human Rights Groups at OECD: Need for Mandatory Due Diligence on Minerals", 10 May 2016

...[The OECD] Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Supply Chains of Minerals from Conflict-Affected and High-Risk Areas...makes clear in practical terms the steps that companies should take to identify, prevent and address risks, such as human rights abuses, in the mineral supply chain... The International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (“ICGLR”) [has endorsed the Guidance and]...a Chinese industry body affiliated to the government acknowledged it to be the internationally-recognised due diligence standard...

Remaining Challenges:

States are not meeting their commitment to ensure that companies operating in or from their territories implement the OECD Guidance...

Companies are failing to demonstrate that they are assessing or addressing human rights and other supply chain risks sufficiently, and they lack robust annual reporting...

Independent monitoring is ignored – and is regularly underfunded...

Industry schemes should not in practice replace individual company responsibility to check supply chains...

[with recommendations to OECD & its member states, companies & industry groups implementing the Guidance]

[signatories include Afrewatch, ASADHO Nord-Kivu & over 25 other DRC-based NGOs, as well as Amnesty Intl., Berne Declaration, Enough Project, Human Rights Watch & other intl. NGOs]