Last month we asked CRS Fair Traders to demand transparency in minerals trading. Through sustained prayer, diligent awareness-raising, and persistent advocacy, Catholic Relief Services and our allies moved a huge step forward in shedding more light on how natural resources are benefiting-or harming-poor people in the Democratic Republic of Congo and in other countries, and holding companies more accountable for the impact their actions have on people.
Recently the House-Senate Conference Committee reconciling the financial reform bill approved its compromise report that included the Congo conflict minerals provisions CRS has been working so hard to advance. The Conference Committee also included additional provisions that reach beyond Congo and require companies to disclose the payments they make to foreign governments for the natural resources they extract. CRS and the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops were among the organizations that worked to advance both of these provisions, playing a key role in their inclusion to the very end.
Thanks in large part to our advocacy efforts we were able to significantly advance these incredibly important issues. We appreciate CRS Fair Traders like you making your voice heard as we take the principles of Fair Trade into the wider world.
