Legal study into mining in DRC launched at Kinshasa workshop

On 22 June 2023, FPP and partner APEM hosted a workshop in Kinshasa to discuss and share the main findings of a new report on mining legislation in DRC. Participants included government officials, civil society organisations and indigenous representatives, who discussed how mining legislation should incorporate stronger human rights protections and recognition of community land rights.  

During the event, participants acknowledged that the lack of concrete due diligence mechanisms and gaps in existing legislation in DRC creates a risk of greater marginalisation of vulnerable populations in the country.

 

Blaise Mududosi, director of FPP partner APEM, said, “The human rights situation is really serious where mining is taking place, and environmental rights are violated as miners use many products that contaminate water sources. Forests are destroyed for no other reason than to carry out mining activities”. 

 

The study, carried out by FPP lawyer Lassana Koné, was carried out as part of the project ‘Defending forests by defending rights in the Congo Basin’. It examines the legal framework pertaining to land tenure and mining, as well as the capacity of public authorities to respect and apply principles of human rights due diligence, accountability, transparency, and the legality of decision-making procedures. 

 

 “Governance of the mining sector in the DRC remains a real challenge. Current gaps in the legal framework governing the mining sector create a risk that indigenous peoples and local communities, as well as other vulnerable groups, will be left behind,” said Koné.  

 

The workshop brought together participants from civil society organisations in Kinshasa, as well as members of relevant Ministries, and representatives of indigenous peoples.