U.S. Department of State to Launch Public-Private Alliance for Responsible Minerals Trade
Media Note
Office of the Spokesperson
Washington, DC
November 9, 2011
The U.S. Department of State, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and a coalition of private sector partners, civil society, and other organizations, will formally launch the Public-Private Alliance for Responsible Minerals Trade (PPA) on Tuesday, November 15, 2011 at the U.S. Institute of Peace in Washington, DC.
Under Secretary of State for Economic Affairs Robert Hormats, Under Secretary for Democracy and Global Affairs Maria Otero, and USAID Senior Deputy Assistant Administrator for Africa Sharon Cromer will participate in a signing event to mark this effort. Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary Don Yamamoto, Bureau of African Affairs, will participate in a panel discussion.
The PPA is part of ongoing U.S. efforts to work with the Democratic Republic of the Congo and other governments in the region to break the linkages between the illicit minerals trade and ongoing violence and human rights abuses. The PPA seeks to leverage resources and promote harmonization of mine certification and traceability initiatives in the Great Lakes region to ensure that the illicit trade in minerals does not benefit rebel groups or abusive army units. It includes stakeholders from the Great Lakes region, the private sector and civil society.
The event will take place in the U.S. Institute of Peace’s Carlucci Auditorium, through the support of the Center for Sustainable Economies, at 2:00 p.m.
The event is by invitation only. Media may attend by contacting Katherine Giles-Diaz at Giles-DiazKL@state.gov with your name, title, media affiliation, and contact information by noon on Monday, November 14. Admittance to the USIP building will require press credentials. USIP is located at 2301 Constitution Avenue, NW; please use the 23rd Street entrance.
For those who cannot attend, the event will be livestreamed at www.usip.org/webcast . Or join the conversation on Twitter using #PPAminerals.