82 FR 15265 - Notice of Stakeholder Consultations on Responsible Conflict Mineral Sourcing

DEPARTMENT OF STATE

Federal Register Volume 82, Issue 57 (March 27, 2017)

The United States announces that the United States remains committed to working with our partners to break the links between armed groups and the minerals trade in the Democratic Republic of Congo and other countries in the Great Lakes Region of Africa. The United States has played a leading role encouraging responsible sourcing and supply chain management in the minerals sector in this region as part of broader U.S. efforts to support peace and security, and to ensure that the region's resource wealth helps advance broad, inclusive, and sustainable socio-economic development. The U.S. Department of State (Department), along with other agencies and departments is seeking input from stakeholders to inform recommendations of how best to support responsible sourcing of tin, tantalum, tungsten and gold.

[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 57 (Monday, March 27, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 15265-15266]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2017-05972]


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DEPARTMENT OF STATE

[Public Notice: 9929]


Notice of Stakeholder Consultations on Responsible Conflict 
Mineral Sourcing

AGENCY: Department of State.

ACTION: Notice; solicitation of comments.

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SUMMARY: The United States announces that the United States remains 
committed to working with our partners to break the links between armed 
groups and the minerals trade in the Democratic Republic of Congo and 
other

[[Page 15266]]

countries in the Great Lakes Region of Africa. The United States has 
played a leading role encouraging responsible sourcing and supply chain 
management in the minerals sector in this region as part of broader 
U.S. efforts to support peace and security, and to ensure that the 
region's resource wealth helps advance broad, inclusive, and 
sustainable socio-economic development. The U.S. Department of State 
(Department), along with other agencies and departments is seeking 
input from stakeholders to inform recommendations of how best to 
support responsible sourcing of tin, tantalum, tungsten and gold.

DATES: The Department will consider requests and comments received or 
postmarked by April 28, 2017.

ADDRESSES: Parties may submit input or request stakeholder 
consultations to: [email protected]. If sent by mail, written 
comments should be addressed to: Ms. Elizabeth Orlando, U.S. Department 
of State, 2201 C Street NW., Room 3843, Washington, DC 20520. All 
comments should include a contact person.
    All comments received during this comment period will be part of 
the official record and may become public, no matter how initially 
submitted.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Details on the SEC Final Rule on 
Section 1502 of the Dodd-Frank Act are available on the following Web 
site: https://www.sec.gov/rules/final/2012/34-67716.pdf. Information on 
the Department's commitment to international responsible sourcing 
standards is available on the following Web sites: https://www.state.gov/documents/organization/168851.pdf, http://www.oecd.org/corporate/mne/mining.htm.
    Please refer to this Web site or contact Ms. Elizabeth Orlando at 
the address listed in the Addresses section of this notice.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Determined to break the link between armed 
groups and minerals in the Africa Great Lakes Region, in 2010 Congress 
enacted Section 1502 of the Wall Street Consumer Reform and Protection 
Act of 2010. That law requires the Securities and Exchange Commission 
to promulgate regulations requiring approximately 6,000 companies 
listed on U.S. exchanges to annually disclose to the SEC whether any 
``conflict minerals'' (tin, tantalum, tungsten and gold) necessary to 
the functionality or production of a product are from the DRC or nine 
adjacent countries.

Andrew Weinschenk,
Director, Office of Threat Finance Countermeasures, Department of 
State.
[FR Doc. 2017-05972 Filed 3-24-17; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4710-AE-P