NCF UN Oral Statement UNHRC63 Session

Next Century Foundation’s Research Officer Manisha Shrivastava addresses the United Nations Human Rights Council in person on conflict minerals and accountability in the Central African Republic, highlighting how armed groups and security actors are financed by gold and diamond wealth that escapes effective oversight, and calling for the country to rebuild its EITI candidacy and apply due-diligence and traceability standards to gold on a par with those required for diamonds.

Transcription:

Mr President,

The Next Century Foundation welcomes this year’s largely peaceful elections in the Central African Republic as a step toward stability. But that progress cannot hold while armed groups and security actors remain financed by mineral wealth that escapes effective oversight.

The country’s mining economy is overwhelmingly artisanal, dominated by gold and diamonds. As the diamond trade contracted over the past decade, armed groups turned to gold, a resource with far weaker traceability, now smuggled across porous borders with little accountability. Suspension from the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative has only widened this gap.

Independent Expert Nononsi’s report ties the same armed groups and security forces profiting from this trade to continuing violations, including conflict-related sexual violence.

The Next Century Foundation therefore encourages the Central African Republic, with this Council’s support, to rebuild its EITI candidacy and to apply due-diligence and traceability standards to gold on a par with those long required for diamonds, so that accountability for violations extends to the resources that finance them.

Thank you.