Capacity Building for a Responsible Minerals Trade EMMP (2017 Update)

The project aims to establish and scale up a responsible minerals trade from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to break the linkages between conflict and minerals, and transform the region's mineral wealth into a tool for economic growth and development. CBRMT supports key actors to increase the volume of conflict-free minerals and the integrity of due diligence and traceability systems. Through increased awareness, capacity building, legal reform, and implementation of responsible sourcing initiatives, the project aims to reduce local conflict over resources and increase end-user confidence in sourcing from the DRC. The project has four components: 1) Legal and Policy Framework for the Mining Sector Improved, and Support to the International Conference of the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR) and Independent Mineral Chain Auditor (IMCA); 2) Capacity of Key Actors in Conflict-Free Minerals Supply Chain Developed; 3) Due Diligence and/or Traceability System for Tin, Tantalum, and Tungsten (3Ts) and Gold Scaled Up; and 4) Outreach and Communications, Including Filming and Coordinating with Key Actors. The project is subject to environmental impact monitoring and mitigation regulation, as outlined in Regulation 216. An Environmental Review was conducted by USAID DRC and its CBRMT partner, following ADS 204 guidelines and under the supervision of the Mission Environmental Officer. The Environmental Review was completed within 90 days after mobilization and enabled USAID to determine the level of environmental assessment required for the project. The Initial Environmental Examination (IEE) conducted by USAID's DRC Mission Environment Officer and USAID/DRC Economic Growth Team includes the DRC's RMT portfolio, which encompasses activities of CBRMT and other organizations. Technical assistance to the Ministry of Mines (MoM) and a donor working group fall under the "Categorical Exclusion" (CE) clause of Regulation 216, as they are determined to not have any direct impact on the environment. CBRMT's capacity building, mineral certification, and traceability activities fall under the "Negative Determination with Conditions" (NDwC) clause. The revised Environmental Mitigation and Monitoring Plan (EMMP) is submitted to USAID DRC in support of the CBRMT project. The EMMP aims to complement and not repeat sections covered under the previous EMMP, and defines in practical terms how CBRMT will implement the conditions of the IEE during the revised period of performance to mitigate and monitor environmental impacts. The EMMP builds upon the IEE and Environmental Threshold Decision (ETD) that were approved in September 2016. The present EMMP serves as an update to the 2014 EMMP and aims to address specific concerns for each category of activity cited in the IEE. The EMMP proposes actions to meet the required conditions for each category, without requiring subsequent analyses of each individual activity. The CBRMT project supports the Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (GDRC) and the ICGLR to establish and scale up a responsible minerals trade from the region. The project has four components, including legal and policy framework improvement, capacity building for key actors, due diligence and traceability system scaling up, and outreach and communications. The project is subject to environmental impact monitoring and mitigation regulation, as outlined in Regulation 216.