DRC at UN: critical minerals governance key to peace and development
- Security
The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) brought its urgent concerns about critical minerals to the United Nations’ high-level meeting on Tuesday, 14 July in New York. The gathering focused on the minerals essential for the global energy transition and their governance challenges.
Led by Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, International Cooperation, Francophonie, and Congolese Abroad Thérèse Kayikwamba Wagner, the DRC delegation highlighted how mineral exploitation is intricately linked to regional stability, state sovereignty, and sustainable development.
The high cost of inaction in resource-rich eastern DRC
Minister Wagner underscored that the issue extends beyond economics. Citing Rubaya, a major coltan mining hub in North Kivu, she presented evidence showing how illicit mining revenues have fueled conflict.
“For countries like ours, this is not just about development. Illegal exploitation weakens state authority, erodes sovereignty, and can lead to violations of territorial integrity. In Rubaya, which supplies around 15% of the world’s tantalum demand, the UN Group of Experts documented that at least 1,400 tonnes of coltan were smuggled into Rwanda in the year following seizures by the M23 — a group armed and supported by Rwanda — generating approximately $800,000 per month for the armed faction.”
Despite overwhelming evidence from UN experts implicating Rwanda’s Defence Forces, no sanctions have been imposed by the UN Security Council. The Minister stressed that this lack of action reflects a broader failure in the international system to connect mineral governance with peace, security, and conflict prevention.
A call for integrated governance and shared responsibility
During its presidency of the UN Security Council, the DRC is advocating for a stronger framework linking natural resource governance to conflict prevention, peacebuilding, and shared prosperity. Kayikwamba Wagner emphasized that while the UN Secretary-General’s guiding principles are welcome, they must lead to tangible changes on the ground.
“The Republic of the Congo is using its Security Council presidency to push for a coherent approach where natural resources, conflict prevention, international peace and security, and inclusive development are treated as one system. These principles mean nothing without measurable impact in the field.”
She also called for more balanced partnerships across the mineral value chain, urging responsibility from producers, traders, processors, financial institutions, manufacturers, and consuming countries alike. The focus should extend beyond access to raw materials to include local value addition, technology transfer, skills development, industrialization, and fair access to finance and markets.
Balancing traceability with livelihoods
On traceability, the Minister acknowledged its role in combating fraud and armed group financing but warned against measures that could marginalize legitimate artisanal miners or create new trade barriers.
“Traceability must combat fraud and conflict financing without excluding legitimate small-scale miners or placing undue compliance burdens on producing countries. This effort aligns with multiple Sustainable Development Goals: clean energy, decent work, responsible production, climate action, strong institutions, and global partnership.”
Energy transition must empower, not endanger
Minister Wagner concluded by stressing that the success of the global energy transition should not be measured solely by industrial output, but by its impact on the lives and sovereignty of people in resource-rich nations.
“Progress in one area must not come at the expense of another. The energy transition’s success will not be measured by the number of electric vehicles or wind turbines produced, but by whether the countries and communities whose resources make this transition possible are safer, more sovereign, and more prosperous as a result.”
The DRC’s call comes amid ongoing diplomatic efforts, including a strategic partnership with the United States on critical minerals and the Washington Agreement between Kinshasa and Kigali, which aims to de-escalate tensions, withdraw Rwandan forces from Congolese soil, and neutralize armed groups such as the FDLR. Yet, despite these agreements, the security situation in eastern DRC remains fragile. Diplomatic initiatives, including talks in Doha under Qatari mediation between the DRC government and the M23 rebel group, have so far failed to yield lasting results. The M23, widely accused of receiving Rwandan support, continues to control key cities like Goma and Bukavu, as well as other areas in North and South Kivu, where clashes persist.
