Blog Post #4 - POLS170 LoBue, Gaby
Blog Post #4 - POLS170 LoBue, Gaby
The World Bank’s Role in Artisanal Mining in the Democratic Republic of Congo
Artisanal mining practices in the Democratic Republic of Congo has been a controversial topic amongst many international organizations due to the harsh and sometimes fatal working conditions the Congolese citizens endure. Organizations like the World Bank have been advocates of reforming the mining industry to ensure the safety of the citizens. Their approach to this situation, like many of their other initiatives, have been ineffective due to their weak efforts to fix their economic structure and their inability to control external corporations who control the mines.
The Democratic Republic of Congo is flourishing with cobalt, a metal that is vital for the production of electric vehicles. Cobalt is used by automakers to extend the battery life while being climate friendly, which is a major trend for the future of the automotive industry. Over two-thirds of the world’s supply of cobalt is found in the DRC, making it a hub for countries like China and the US wanting to obtain the metal. The World Bank has been aware and vocal of the governmental issues regulating cobalt, and have made strides to mitigate the harsh working conditions. These efforts include heavily investing money into the infrastructure in key areas like “economic management, governance, and private sector development; human capital (health, education, social protection)”, etc (World Bank). Their website has many regulatory initiatives that they created to help protect these artisanal workers from the work environment. Onlookers can see how with millions of dollars pouring into helping the situation and researching the environment has done practically nothing in aiding this situation, since people are still dying and continually being hurt in these mines. Supporters of the World Bank argue that they can’t logistically or forcibly control these mines because they don’t have complete power over the government or companies that own these mines. With that being said, their organization was established to help dire situations like this, and their attempts to help have been very small. The rush to obtain cobalt has been dramatically increasing over the past few years, making this situation even more prevalent for organizations like the World Bank to get involved in.
This can be compared to the Foreign Policy article we discussed in class, where they describe how the World Bank often proposes plans to help a country in need, but then pulls out when activist groups tug at its flaws. This article also critiqued how countries who need the World Bank’s help often search for private investments instead due to their “expenses and delays” (Foreign Policy article). These general examples show how the World Bank’s intentions aren’t always followed through with success on the projects they initiate. In the situation with Congolese artisanal workers, we can see how the World Bank is doing little to work with the Congolese government to implement their initiatives that they proposed, making the corporations who own the mines continue their cruel working conditions. The World Bank should continue to push and aid this situation by working with the Congolese government to protect the rights of artisanal miners, and urge them to work with Chinese corporations to implement safety measures for the betterment of the Congolese citizens.
https://www.worldbank.org/en/country/drc/overview#2
I really enjoyed reading this blog post. I like how you picked a specific example to illustrate how the World Bank often fails in helping people. Further, I thought that your reference to the Foreign Policy article from class was both a relevant and useful source for this blog post. My only suggestion would be to shorten your summary about the mines in Congo and focus more on the World Bank situation itself. Otherwise, great job.
ReplyDeleteThis was really good I really sympathize with your argument and find it compelling. I like how you acknowledge the work the world bank does instead of just being mad it does not do enough. I really enjoyed this post and it gave me something to read I never had expected to read about.
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