On March 27, 2017, the Department of State (State) published in the Federal Register a notice [Public Notice: 9929] seeking input from stakeholders to inform recommendations of how best to support responsible sourcing of tin, tantalum, tungsten and gold (the conflict minerals). The notice said that the United States remains committed to working with its partners to break the links between armed groups and the minerals trade in the Democratic Republic of Congo and other countries in the Great Lakes Region of Africa. The United States has played a leading role encouraging responsible sourcing and supply chain management in the minerals sector in this region as part of broader U.S. efforts to support peace and security, and to ensure that the region’s resource wealth helps advance broad, inclusive, and sustainable socio-economic development. State, along with other agencies and departments is seeking input from stakeholders to inform recommendations of how best to support responsible sourcing of the conflict minerals. State will consider requests and comments received or postmarked by April 28, 2017.
