Using technology to measure, map and magnify the impact of due diligence programs in artisanal mining communities in Eastern D.R Congo

Ulula is a company that provides software and analytics to create responsible supply chains. In 2018, Timothy Makori, Ulula and the International Peace Information Service (IPIS), an independent research organization working on issues related to artisanal mining in Eastern Congo, undertook a baseline study assessing the social, economic and human rights impacts of initiatives promoting traceability and responsible artisanal mining in Eastern Congo. We found that these initiatives, which are a means of conducting due diligence in the tin, tantalum, tungsten and gold supply chains, had limited impact on minersâ economic welfare, reported accounts of violence, child labour and forced labour. In 2019, we intend to do a second phase of the project to measure the progress of due diligence programs based on the social, economic and human rights indicators employed in the baseline study. By using both observational and perceptual information from miners and people living in mining communities to measure the progress of due diligence initiatives in Eastern Congo, Makori and Ulula aim to create a database of shared knowledge on due diligence programs to be used by regional governments, international organizations and companies keen to track and report on conflict minerals in their commodity supply chains.

Faculty Supervisor:

BLAIR RUTHERFORD

Student:

TIMOTHY MWANGEKA MAKORI

Partner:

Ulula

Discipline:

Anthropology

Sector:

University:

Program:

Elevate