+256 414 323432 / +256 414 320118 dgsm@minerals.go.ug Plot 21 -29, Johnstone Road P.O.Box 9, Entebbe, Uganda.

TRAINING ON DEVELOPMENT OF ICGLR CHAIN OF CUSTODY (CoC) SYSTEM GUIDELINES FOR UGANDA

A team of officials from the Directorate of Geological Survey and Mines/Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development undertook a five-day training exercise on developing guidelines for the Chain of Custody (CoC) system to streamline the Certification of Designated Minerals in Uganda from 15th to 19th November 2021 at Protea Hotel in Entebbe, Wakiso District.

The training was facilitated by the ICGLR with the objective of equipping staff with skills on Chain of Custody Licensing Programming, one of the key elements of ICGLR.
The International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR) is a regional body composed of 12 countries including Uganda, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Burundi, Kenya, Tanzania, South Sudan, Sudan, Zambia, Central African Republic, Republic of Congo, and Angola.
In a bid to address the root causes of conflict and human rights abuses in the ICGLR member states, the ICGLR adopted the Pact on Security, Stability, and Development in the Great Lakes Region and this Pact resulted in the formulation of the Regional Initiative on Natural Resources (RINR). The ICGLR Regional Certification Mechanism (RCM) is one of the tools of the RINR and it aims to provide for mineral supply chains that have not, directly and indirectly, provided support to non-state armed groups or public or private security forces engaged in illegal activity and/or serious human rights abuse in and between member states of the ICGLR with a view to eliminating support to armed groups that sustain conflict and/or otherwise engage in serious human rights abuses.

The Training was attended by different stake holders drawn from DGSM, BGR, GIZ and ICGRL secretariat staff. There were presentations from ICGRL member states such DRC, Burundi, Tanzania and Rwanda and also private Chain of Custody service providers such as Better Sourcing Program (BSP), ITSCI, Pact and Mine Spider.
Once operational, the CoC system for Uganda shall start with tracking the Tin, Tungsten and Tantalum (3Ts) and gold.