Kinshasa Hosts 31st ICGLR Meeting on Combating Illegal Exploitation of Natural Resources

Kinshasa, DRC - The capital hosted the 31st meeting of the Regional Committee of the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR) on November 7-8, 2025, bringing together government officials, civil society representatives, and technical partners to tackle the illegal exploitation of natural resources.

Organized under the auspices of the Congolese Minister of Mines, the forum focused on coordinating regional policies, strengthening security cooperation, and establishing a common legal framework. Participants also examined the links between illegal mining and armed conflict, aiming to ensure that strategic resources such as coltan, cobalt, and tin contribute to sustainable development.

The ICGLR meeting comes three weeks after the National Forum on socio-economic and mining issues, which addressed peace agreements and resource management in the DRC and the wider Great Lakes region.