Enabling the production of legal artisanal gold in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

In the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), more than 95 percent of artisanal gold is smuggled out of the country. This flow of illegal gold contributes to the ongoing conflict in DRC and the African Great Lakes Region. The Responsible Artisanal Gold Solutions Forum (RAGS Forum) is a multi-stakeholder coalition seeking to learn about and address critical barriers to the production and trade of artisanal gold from the DRC in a way that verifiably meets regional, national, and international laws and standards. Forum members also seek to educate and engage other supply chain actors in responsible sourcing of artisanal gold.

As RAGS Forum secretariat, RESOLVE convenes leaders from business, nongovernmental organizations, and government to create viable, responsible supply chains of artisanal gold from DRC to downstream buyers. RESOLVE works with members to identify challenges and solutions to scaling up artisanal gold sourcing, creating due diligence tools and resources to communicate lessons learned and catalyze industry engagement.

The Forum designed the first supply chain to source conflict-free artisanal gold from the DRC by U.S.-listed companies since enactment of the Dodd-Frank Act, section 1502, demonstrating the ability to comply with reporting requirements while sourcing from the DRC and African Great Lakes Region. The Forum also enabled the first conflict-free artisanal gold conforming to international due diligence standards (OECD, LBMA) to be exported from DRC to a U.S. jeweler, demonstrating that companies can support economic development in the conflict-affected region while avoiding illicit trade.

In addition, RESOLVE and Forum partners produced the award-winning Journey of Gold virtual reality film as an outreach tool to companies and consumers, viewed over 120,000 times. Please see the RAGS Forum website for additional details.