The government of Congo is seeking to improve the management of its natural resources. The certification of origin of mineral products includes gold, coltan (columbite-tantalite) and cassiterite.
Management of natural resources should curtail the organized theft by armed and militia groups. These natural resources are the source of violence.
As result of widespread violence in eastern Congo, millions of women and children have died due to malnutrition, diarrhea, malaria and other diseases which are preventable and treatable.
Violence forced people from their homes and off their farms. Also, the violence has indirectly affected the entire country. Extreme poverty and huge numbers of displaced people the current humanitarian crisis.
Consumers and manufacturers will have to insist upon certifiable natural resources in their products.
Monday , 14 Apr 2008 The Ministry of Mines of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (the DRC) and Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources of Germany today signed a Memorandum of Understanding signalling their intent to co-develop a system of authentication that will significantly advance the Ministry's progress towards compliance with and validation by the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (the EITI).
In the DRC, as in other countries that are rich in natural resources, the revenue from mining production, oil and gas is associated with poverty, conflict and corruption. This paradox, which is often known as ‘the curse of natural resources', often arises out of a lack of transparency and the absence of effective control systems.
PRAYER:
Dear Heavenly Father, thank you so much for the wisdom and technology to track natural resources. We pray that certifiable natural resources end the violence and extreme poverty in the Congo. In your name, AMEN.
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