In its second year, the Regional Project to Contribute to the Improvement of Mineral Resources Governance in the Great Lakes Region, implemented by IMPACT within the framework of the European Union’s Peace and Security Programme, supported the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR and its Member States to strengthen regional mineral governance.
Building on progress made in 2024, the project advanced implementation of the Regional Initiative against the Illegal Exploitation of Natural Resources (RINR), supported improvements to the Regional Certification Mechanism (RCM), and continued the development of the ICGLR Regional Database on Mineral Flows.
In 2025, progress was made in the following areas:
Improving the Control of Artisanal Mineral Resources
The Regional Guidelines for the Formalisation of the Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining Sector were validated and approved by ICGLR Member States. The revised guidelines integrate gender and youth dimensions, promote access to finance, and encourage local mineral value addition.
Member States also assessed progress and remaining gaps in the implementation of the six RINR tools. The assessment recommended adding a new tool focused on mineral value addition, trade facilitation, and economic cooperation to support peacebuilding goals.
Applying Best Practices to Artisanal Gold Exports
The project initiated the development of a regional Compendium on Best Practices in Gold Export Regimes. The compendium will provide Member States with practical guidance, recommendations, and case examples to strengthen artisanal gold export regimes.
Strengthening Regional Certification Systems
Six third-party audits were conducted under the ICGLR auditing scheme in Uganda, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Burundi. Accredited and pre-accredited in-region audit firms also received training on audit methodologies, OECD due diligence guidance, analytical fingerprinting, and audit reporting.
Through Audit Committee meetings, Member States reviewed third-party audit reports, selected auditors, accredited additional audit firms, and established a ranking mechanism for future audit firm selection. The committee also advanced mechanisms to address the DRC’s allegations of mineral smuggling into Rwanda.
Work on the ICGLR Regional Database on Mineral Flows continued through meetings of the Regional Database Technical Working Group and a second phase of research on data sharing protocols and standards. Member States approved key documents covering Chain of Custody data, data governance, data security, system gaps, and requirements for the ICGLR Data Sharing Solution.
The Regional Project to Contribute to the Improvement of Mineral Resources Governance in the Great Lakes Region aims to improve mineral governance while contributing to security, stability, and development. The four-year project is funded by the European Union and implemented by IMPACT which has been a technical partner to the ICGLR since 2006.
