Topic: Reducing Violence Associated with Conflict Minerals
Country: Canada
Delegate Name: Zachary Hawley
School: Saginaw Arts and Sciences Academy
Topic page: background guide and all position papers All Canada position papers GLIMUN 2011 committees
Precious minerals have been the bane of many third world countries around the world. Violence associated with conflict minerals has forced the United Nations to directly address the problem. The United Nations Group of Experts on Congo created the Dodd-Frank legislation. Since the creation of this legislation, eastern Congo has shown reform. The cause of the problem in eastern Congo was corrupt government and violent military actions. The Congolese has been accused of smuggling minerals, prompting an investigation from the Security Council. Violence in these third world countries is fueled by corporate greed and capitalist consumption causing some of the worst violence the world has ever seen. These minerals are essential in the electronic world, making the demand rise and the violence to increase.
Canada has led the way in the global fight to end conflict mineral violence by setting up a complex system for tracking conflict minerals in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda. Along with Canada, the United States have proposed the Congo Conflict Minerals Act to curb the demand of conflict minerals in the United States and Canada. The bill aims to make the companies mining the minerals disclose the locations of the mines and allow them to be inspected regularly.
Canada encourages those countries fortunate enough to have wealth and peace to assist in the global fight to stop these conflicts. With enough global support, the conflict minerals present in modern day electronics can be replaced by minerals from honest companies that do not cause strife. Independent support is not enough to solve this problem, countries need to unite to form a body that has the power and resources to solve this problem. The violence associated with conflict minerals can not be eliminated over night but with the generosity of the worlds countries, we can aim to end this conflict and bring peace to otherwise violent countries.
