What's the Deal with Conflict Minerals Anyway, and Furthermore Why Should I Care?

     I first learned about Conflict Minerals about 10 months ago when I read The Enough Moment: Fighting to End Africa's Worst Human Rights Crimes by John Prendergast and Don Cheadle (http://www.amazon.com/The-Enough-Moment-Fighting-Africas/dp/0307464822). 

     For me, reading that book was life changing in that the book helped me to realize in a tangible way just how interconnected our lives here in the United States are to those who live in Eastern Congo, and that we (I) do have the power to impact lives half a world away. 

WHAT ARE CONFLICT MINERALS?

     Let's back up a moment from the personal story of my awareness to action, and talk about what exactly Conflict Minerals are. 

     Conflict Minerals wind up in all of our we-love-to-use them electronic devices: cell phones, computers, i-pods/mp3 players, smart phones, digital cameras, video game systems, etc.  The minerals which wind up in these products are: tin, tungsten, tantalum and gold.  Armed groups which reside within Eastern Congo fight to control these mines, leaving innocent civilians in the crossfire, mainly women and children who are all too often the victims of horrific sexual violence.  In fact, Eastern Congo has been deemed one of the worst places on earth to be a woman, or girl.  Here is a short, 4 minute, video created by The Enough Project which will orient you to the basics of what Conflict Minerals are and how you and I are connected to them: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aF-sJgcoY20.

Source: http://www.enoughproject.org/publications/comprehensive-approach-conflict-minerals-strategy-paper

     Admittedly, the situation in Eastern Congo is layered and complex, however it is undeniable that the power struggle between the various armed groups in Eastern Congo over who controls the mining of the minerals, which are necessary to make our favorite electronic gadgets function, fuels the violence in this region of the world, thereby linking you and I to the women, men and children who live in Eastern Congo in a way that I find profoundly simple to recognize.  

     More importantly, however, the situation in Eastern Congo is not a lost cause, and there are actions we as consumers, our government, and those in industries involved with the purchase and trade of Conflict Minerals can do to positively, peacefully, and powerfully impact the dire situation in Eastern Congo.

     Currently, it is not possible to purchase Conflict Mineral free electronic devises, however that is changing.

SO WHAT DO WE DO NOW?

    There is no denying that we live in a busy world filled with countless causes, both local and global, which are deserving of our attention.  With regard to Conflict Minerals I believe that all of us who utilize electronic devices have the responsibility to at least understand what they are, and how we are connected to them.  By reading this post, you have already fulfilled this responsibility!  

     Now I ask that you read a little further to learn more about what has been done on the legislative and industrial levels to address the mining of Conflict Minerals

What Congress Is Doing About It

     In July of 2010, Congress passed the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act.  Section 1502 of this Act addresses Conflict Minerals mined from Eastern Congo, and this provision of the law was welcomed both by the Congolese government and human rights advocacy groups alike.  1502 requires companies to audit their supply chains in order to ensure that their products are not supporting violence and atrocities in Eastern Congo.  At this point the delay in implementation of the Conflict Minerals provision lies with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). 

     This past February, Oregon's Senator Ron Wyden signed a joint letter sent by four of his colleagues, and himself, to SEC Chairwoman Mary Schapiro urging the immediate release of the Conflict Minerals regulations as set forth in Section 1502:

Click here to read a larger version of the letter: https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B0Y-gnkyksE1RDhOcU15WTJuT3c/edit?pli=1

     Senator Wyden, and Senator Merkley, co-signed a similar joint letter which was also sent to SEC Chairwoman Schapiro back in October, 2011: ttp://boxer.senate.gov/en/press/releases/101811.cfm

     This July will mark two years since the passage of Section 1502, which is two years too many for those in Eastern Congo.

What Intel is Doing About It

    In March of this year Intel announced their pledge to offer a conflict free microprocessor (http://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/corporate-responsibility/corporate-responsibility-conflict-free-minerals-video.html). While the SEC delays in the implementation of 1502 regulations, Intel recognizes their connection to those suffering in Eastern Congo and is working on the ground there, as well as with those who comprise their supply chains to ensure that Intel's products do not contain Conflict Minerals.   

What You Can Do About It

      The most important thing you can do to help bring an end to the extreme violence in Eastern Congo is to first and foremost be aware (so by all means pass along the link to this blog post too all of your family and friends!).  For you more industrious types, if you check out the links at the bottom of this post you can find simple and easy ways to become more involved.

     Well, I think I've thrown enough information at you for one blog post, but rest assured if you stick with me, I will delve back into the story of my personal journey from awareness to action, and will keep you informed as opportunities present themselves to become involved in the Conflict Mineral Free Movement.

Sources/Action Opportunities: http://www.raisehopeforcongo.org/content/conflict-minerals; http://www.raisehopeforcongo.org/content/take-action; http://www.easterncongo.org/; http://www2.americanprogress.org/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=202; http://blogs.intel.com/csr/2012/03/a-conflict-free-minerals-goal/

Administrative Professionals Day: Makin' it Look Easy For 60 Years

     Today is Administrative Professionals Day (APD), and it is more than a Hallmark Holiday.  In fact, Hallmark has nothing to do with this day which honors the role of 8.9 million women and men who perform roles within their respective work places, which are best described under the broad umbrella of the "administrative professional".

     APD, formerly known as Professional Secretaries Day--or "Secretaries Day", owes its origin to the need for clerical and secretarial support on the homefront during WWII.  With the men off fighting in the Pacific and European Theaters, women back home kept the fabric of our nation moving forward by working hard in factories, war plants, and of course don't forget the league of their own.  Of course there was also a need for secretarial (administrative) support, and so in 1942 the National Secretaries Association (now known as the International Association of Administrative Professionals, IAAP) was born, and in 1952 the first National Secretaries Week was established (Happy 60th National "Honor-Those-Who-Make-it-Happen-Week"!).

(You can read more about the history of IAAP here: http://iaap-hq.org/connections%20newsletter/images/history_of_iaap.htm)

     Fast forward to April 25, 2012.  So, here we are, it's Administrative Professionals Day, and chances are that most, if not all, of you reading this are an Administrative Professional, and hey today is about YOU! 

     Each year on APD I cannot help but think of the movies 9-5  and (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0080319/) Office Space (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0151804/).  I really don't have much of a point to make here, except to say that while most of us are fortunate enough that we don't find it necessary to spend our days imagining ways to off our bosses, and most of us don't one day come into work and decide to cut down our cubicle walls so that we have a better view, we all from time-to-time feel frustrated, annoyed and maybe even taken for granted. 

     While I feel appreciated pretty much every day at work, I am aware that not everyone feels, or even knows, how much they are appreciated, and so that is why I think it is good to set aside one day a year when we collectively honor those who make the impossible possible and the difficult look like a breeze--heck some of us even double as expert printer un-jammers:

     To anyone who may feel underappreciated and unnoticed, know that today is for you and that your peers know just how important and integral to your office you are!

Additionl Information: http://www.iaap-hq.org/events/apw

   

Reasonably Unreasonable

                   As I sit at my computer listening to the Swing Kids soundtrack contemplating what Holocaust Remembrance day means to me, and why it is that I make a point to remember on this day each year, my mind flashes back to a quotation by George Bernard Shaw I came across recently while reading Half the Sky:

“Reasonable people adapt themselves to the world.  Unreasonable people attempt to adapt the world to themselves.  All progress, therefore, depends upon unreasonable people.”

                A powerful quotation packed full of turned-upside-down meaning. Perhaps a bit on the absolute side, but still the quotation has punch.   Who wants to be unreasonable?  Me, that’s who.

                Let’s take a moment to remember two extraordinarily unreasonable individuals:  Oskar Schindler and Paul Rusesabagina.  Oskar Schindler, an ethnic German Catholic and eventual member of the Nazi Party, saved the lives of over 1,000 of his Jewish contemporaries from the Holocaust by employing them in his various factories during the war.  Oskar Schnidler was viewed by many as an opportunist with extravagant tastes, and yet he created a “reasonable” facade which acted as a shield that saved lives.  Paul Rusesabagina, a Hutu and manager of a luxury hotel in Kigali, also saved more than 1,000 lives by bravely sheltering both Hutus and Tutsis alike during the 100 horrific days of the Rwandan Genocide that violently claimed the lives of more than 800,000.  Paul Rusesabagina used the walls of Hotel des Mille Collines as a literal, overt, and “unreasonable” shield to save lives.

                Oskar Schnidler pretended to adapt to the world around him, and therefore appeared “reasonable”, while Paul Rusesbagina refused to adapt to the violence of his fellow Hutus, and took an “unreasonable” stand which could have cost his life, but didn’t.   Despite the two different approaches, at some point both men refused to adapt to the world around them, and in their own heroic ways adapted the world to their view of how things ought to be.

                To me Holocaust Remembrance day is not only a day to remember the Holocaust, but also a day to remember all genocides, and to then identify current genocides (The Nubian Mountains in Sudan for example) and crimes against humanity about which I can speak up and do something.  Maybe this sounds like an unreasonable expectation of myself, and to some perhaps even trite and futile.  

                Acutely aware that some think my passion’s overwhelming and far too big for one person to take on, I will forge ahead with a reasonably unreasonable mindset.  Although my unreasonable outlook does not place my life in danger, it does risk eye rolls, private sighs of here-we-go-again and possibly annoyance.  Nevertheless, I will continue to advocate for the women, men and children of DR Congo who have suffered for far too long, and advocate for the SEC’s immediate release of strong 1502 regulations.  I will gladly fulfill my role as an Ambassador for Women for Women International**, and will also do what I can to support local causes which benefit and advocate for those in my immediate community who need it most.  All of this I unreasonably promise.

**WfWI “works with socially excluded women in eight countries where war and conflict have devastated lives and communities.”  http://www.womenforwomen.org/

Sources: http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10005787 http://hrrfoundation.org/ http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5324187 http://www.ushmm.org/remembrance/dor/calendar/