Conflict minerals law must be an example

By: Maria van der Heide (ActionAid) and Gisela ten Kate (SOMO)

This op-ed appeared in the Dutch newspaper Trouw on Tuesday, 21 February 2017

US president Trump is likely to suspend the law against conflict minerals, reported Trouw on 15 February 2017. The article examined the alleged negative consequences of the law itself, but left the effects of the suspension completely out of consideration.

If it is up to Trump, for the next two years US companies will not have to check whether they contribute to violence through procurement of conflict minerals. However, the first positive effects of the law, which has only been in effect for two years, are only now starting to be observed. In Congo, for example, minerals are now appearing on the market that do not contribute to war, albeit on a small scale.

Read the entire article (Dutch only) here.