The Capacity Building for Responsible Minerals Trade Project (CBRMT) aims to transform the mineral wealth of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) into economic growth for the men, women, and youth working in artisanal mining in the DRC through the transparent regulation of strategic minerals in the region.
CBRMT includes four components that simultaneously aim to strengthen the policy framework, organizations, and processes of mineral supply chains for tin, tungsten, and tantalum (3Ts) and gold. An analysis of the legal and policy framework and a consultative process will inform proposed rights-based reforms to the conflict-free minerals supply chain in the region. Gaps between stated rights and practices will be identified, including where laws are discriminatory in their interpretation, resulting in restricting rights of men and women to earn a safe, legitimate livelihood. Tailored technical assistance will help equip men and women in the conflict minerals supply chain with the know-how to effectively implement and expand 3T traceability systems that track and certify conflict-free minerals. Central to the scaling up of mine sites implementing traceability and certification is the demonstrated security for men, women, boys, and girls working in and around mine sites. Finally, the project will enhance the third-party monitoring of mineral supply chains by operationalizing the Independent Mineral Chain Auditor (IMCA), a body of the International Conference of the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR), and by raising awareness in the region about responsible mining, the ICGLR regional certification mechanism, and the role of the IMCA.
Formalization, regulation, and reform of the Artisanal and Small-scale Mining (ASM) sector cannot be achieved without consideration of the gender dimensions within the ASM sector, and how access and control over resources are inequitably distributed between men and women. Targeting women in this fashion will improve understanding of gender roles, barriers to access, and opportunities for empowerment, relationships, and dynamics in light of the desired project results. The different roles of men and women throughout the ASM value chain will augment the information already captured and analyzed by CBRMT Tetra Tech subcontractor Pact and their civil society organization (CSO) partners in the DRC around women’s roles in ASM. Based on the present gender analysis, activities will be developed and implemented to ensure that gender dynamics are monitored and mainstreamed throughout the project.
Gender Scope of Work and Objectives
USAID recognizes the importance of integrating gender across all of its programming to increase program effectiveness and to ensure that all members of society can contribute to and benefit from their country’s development. In accordance with USAID policy (ADS 201, ADS 205), all contracts awarded under the Strengthening Tenure and Resource Rights Indefinite Quantity Contract require a project level gender analysis. This analysis aims to answer the following questions in the context of the CBRMT project:
- What are the differences in the status of women and men and their differential access to assets, resources, opportunities, and services (related to project activities and outcomes)? What are the relevant gaps in the status and anticipated levels of participation of women and men (including age, ethnicity, disability, location, etc.) that could hinder overall project outcome? Which of these differences could be narrowed or closed as a result of CBRMT interventions?
- What influence do gender roles and norms have on the division of time between paid employment, unpaid work (including subsistence production and care for family members), and volunteer activities?
- What influence do gender roles and norms have on leadership roles and decision-making, constraints, opportunities, and entry points for narrowing gender gaps and empowering females?
- What are the potential differential impacts of the activities and outcomes on males and females, including unintended or negative consequences?
- What are the cultural, societal, and institutional conditions that facilitate or undermine the possibilities for female empowerment within the project context?
This gender analysis aims to strengthen CBRMT project results by integrating attention to gender throughout project activities. It does so by identifying strategic areas of intervention in the work plan and providing recommendations on how to integrate gender into already existing and approved activities. It is important to note that as gender integration proceeds through project implementation, there may be need to modify gender activities to address changing circumstances or take advantage of additional gender integration opportunities as they arise. For this reason, the Gender Analysis should be considered a roadmap to be revisited and updated as the project proceeds. The CBRMT Performance Monitoring Table, and associated Performance Indicator Reference (PIR) sheets, include gender-disaggregated indicators, and are designed to ensure that evidence-based decision making and adaptive planning are integrated within the CBRMT.
Report Structure
The research approach for considering the implications of proposed CBRMT activities for men, women, boys, and girls is described in Section 2, Methodology. The chapter summarizes the six domains of USAID’s Gender Analysis framework—access, beliefs, practices, time/space, rights, and power—that subsequently serves to organize the remaining sections. Section 3, Findings, first describes gender-differentiated roles, risks, and benefits of artisanal mining in the DRC and then summarizes findings along the six domains. Project and activity level recommendations stemming from this analysis are outlined by component and indicator in Section 4 before concluding remarks in Section 5.