Keynotes and opening remarks. Followed by Forum Kick-off and stock-taking of the OECD Due Diligence Guidance : Presentation and discussion taking stock of trends in global uptake of the Due Diligence Guidance, and on how to better target efforts to advance implementation and generate positive impacts in supply chains and producing countries.

Companies too often use the presence of responsible business conduct risks in supply chains as a rationale for categorical disengagement from regions or supply types (e.g. artisanal and small-scale mining). This is referred to as “de-risking" and runs counter to the purpose of the Guidance, which was designed as a tool for responsible trade and investment in high-risk areas. This session will examine the factors that shape companies’ postures towards certain risks. Panellists will explore how such factors can be addressed to promote more constructive responses to identified risks, including by discussing current practices and approaches to countering de-risking and engaging responsibly with high-risk and informal producers.

With the European regulation on responsible mineral sourcing in force since January 2021, this session will focus on the Regulation’s implementation activities by the European Commission, companies but also EU Member States and their competent authorities. The session will also consider strategic opportunities and potential challenges of the regulation, including impacts of thresholds, accompanying measures and impacts in mineral producing regions.

COVID-19 heavily disrupted mineral supply chains through uneven and fluctuating impacts on demand, supply and trade. This had serious knock-on effects on mining communities, with disproportionate impacts falling on artisanal and small-scale miners. Illicit actors inserted themselves into reconfigured supply chains in a context of increasing economic hardship and vulnerability. Lower mineral trade volumes also put some on-the-ground due diligence programmes in financial distress. This session will explore changes wrought by the pandemic on supply chains and due diligence systems and highlight how companies, communities and programmes adapted during the crisis, and how such responses may be relevant to increasing long-term supply chain resilience in the face of future disruptions.

Corruption risks in mineral supply chains are sometimes overlooked or overshadowed by other topics or reduced to a compliance perspective despite the serious adverse impacts corruption causes to people and society. This session will examine corruption risks within the frame of supply chain due diligence and a varied corruption typology. It will also be an opportunity to showcase the OECD’s FAQ on How to Address Bribery and Corruption Risks in Mineral Supply Chains as a basis for an expert discussion on real-life challenges carrying out due diligence for corruption risks.

A range of different information sources, like the media, advocacy organisations, desk research or direct experience inform the understanding of supply chain risks by companies, regulators and the public-at-large. Resulting perceptions of risks, however, are not necessarily representative of their prevalence or of how they may be connected. This session will examine current trends in risks with data from the OECD’s Trends in Stakeholder Reporting paper. It will use the data to explore the Due Diligence Guidance’s use as a tool for risk prioritisation and an entry point for addressing broader RBC risks. Panellists will also discuss how well current due diligence practices are positioned to confront this varied risk landscape.

Ongoing discussions in multi-stakeholder forums have raised important questions on the perceived imbalance of how due diligence costs and benefits are distributed along the supply chain. This session will explore different cost-sharing models for carrying out supply chain due diligence, persistent pain points, and possibilities for redistributing costs in ways that appropriately recognise the value and benefits of due diligence. The session will use polls and firestarters to stimulate discussion.

The Forum closing session will bring together designated rapporteurs to review some of the most salient points from each session.