A Closer Look at Conflict Minerals

Contents
Preface
Chapter 1
A Progress Report on Conflict Minerals(
	Opening Statement of Hon. Jeff Flake,  U.S. Senator from Arizona
	Statement of Hon. Cory Booker,  U.S. Senator from New Jersey
	Statement of Hon. Todd Young,  U.S. Senator from Indiana
	Statement of Hon. Christopher Coons,  U.S. Senator from Delaware
	Statement of Rick Goss, Senior Vice President, Environment and Sustainability, Information Technology Industry Council, Washington, DC
	Written Testimony of Rick Goss, Senior Vice President of Environment and Sustainability, Information Technology Industry Council (ITI), Before the United States Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, Subcommittee on Africa and Global Health Policy
		Introduction
			Section 1502 of the Dodd-Frank Act Has Had Mixed Success  in Cutting off Funding to Armed Groups in the DRC  and Reducing Violence in the Region
			Section 1502 Has Generated Unintended Consequences That Have Detracted from the Provision’s Effectiveness
			Recommendations to Maintain Sourcing Transparency,  Promote Peace and Security in Central Africa,  and Improve Section 1502 Deficiencies
		Expand Existing Diplomatic Efforts to Drive Peace,  Security, and Governance in Central Africa
			Intensify U.S. Diplomatic Efforts
			Provide Targeted Development Aid
		Maintain U.S. Leadership on Sourcing Transparency to  Support Continued Progress in Central Africa  and Avoid Unintended Outcomes
			Maintain U.S. Leadership
			Advance the OECD due Diligence Guidance
		Consider Removing the Requirements of Section 1502 That Have Increased Costs and Burdens While Failing  to Promote Progress in the Region
			Remove the Provisions That Discourage Legitimate  Businesses from Sourcing from the Region
			Move Any Requirements from Securities Law
		Conclusion
	Statement of Mvemba Dizolele, Lecturer,  School of Advanced International Studies,  Johns Hopkins University, Washington, DC
	A Progress Report on Conflict Minerals,  The United States Senate, Committee on Foreign Relations, Subcommittee on Africa and Global Health Policy, Testimony by Mvemba Phezo Dizolele , Professorial Lecturer, Johns Hopkins School of Advanced Internatio...
	What Are the Merits of This Law?
	Where Did the Law Fail?
	Unintended Consequences
	What Should Be Done?
	Statement of Arvind Ganesan, Director,  Business and Human Rights,  Human Rights Watch, Washington, Dc
	Testimony to the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee, Subcommittee on African Affairs and Global Health Policy Regarding  Dodd-Frank Section 1502
		Suspending 1502 Will Make It Easier  to Fund Armed Groups Secretly
		Suspending or Eliminating Dodd-Frank 1502  Will Disadvantage Responsible US Companies
		Challenges with Dodd-Frank 1502
		The Way Forward
	Conclusion
	Additional Material Submitted for the Record
		Prepared Statement of Senator Richard Durbin
		Congo Conflict/Rape Capital of the World
	Conflict Minerals Law
	Series of Letters Relating to Section 1502 of the Dodd-Frank Act Submitted for the Record by Senator Cory Booker
	Conflict Minerals: Insights from Company Disclosures and Agency Actions(
		Why GAO Did This Study
		What GAO Recommends
		What GAO Found
		Background
		SEC Filings in 2015 Show Companies Were More Informed about Supply Chains but Continued to Face Challenges in Determining Conflict Mineral Origins
		Commerce Has Produced Lists of Conflict Minerals Processing Facilities but Lacks a Plan to Assess Audits of Conflict  Minerals Filings
	Appendix I: Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Summary of the Conflict Minerals Disclosure Rule
Chapter 2
Conflict Minerals: 2018 Company Reports on Mineral Sources Were Similar in Number and Content to Those Filed in the Prior 2 Years*
	Abbreviations
	Why GAO Did This Study
	What GAO Found
	Background
		History of Conflict in the DRC and the Region
		Uses of Conflict Minerals
		SEC Conflict Minerals Disclosure Rule
	Conflict Minerals Disclosures Filed in 2018  Were Similar in Number and Content to  Those Filed in Prior Years
		Almost as Many Companies Filed Conflict Minerals Disclosures in 2018 as in Each of the Past 2 Years
		A Similar Percentage of Companies Conducted Country of Origin Inquiries as in the Past 2 Years; the Percentage of Companies Reporting a Determination Has Increased since 2014
		Some Companies Filing in 2018 Reported Taking Actions to Improve Supply Chain Data, Though Many Continue to Report Difficulties in Determining Country of Origin
		Almost All Companies Required to Conduct Due Diligence Reported Conducting it in Their 2018 Filings
		Some Companies Noted That SEC Staff Guidance Regarding Due Diligence Reporting Requirements Had Caused Confusion, but Most Companies’ Filings Were Similar to Those Submitted in Each of the Prior 2 Years
	No New Information on Rates of Sexual Violence in Eastern DRC and Adjoining Countries Has Been Published; Case-File and Other Information on the DRC and Burundi is Available
		No New Surveys Have Been Published on the Rate of  Sexual Violence
		New Case-File Information about Sexual Violence in the DRC and Burundi Is Available
			New Information on the DRC
			New Information on Burundi
		UN Reports Some Steps Taken to Address Sexual Violence in the DRC and None Taken in Burundi
	Agency Comments
		List of Committees
	Appendix I: Objectives, Scope, and Methodology
	Appendix II: Summary of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s Conflict Minerals  Rule Disclosure Process
	Appendix III: Population- Based Surveys on Sexual Violence Rates Since 2007
	Appendix IV: Comments from the U.S. Agency for International Development
	Appendix V: Accessible Data
		Data Tables
Index
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