That the House of Representatives—
expresses concern over the prevalence of the hazardous, and especially the worst forms of, child labor in the mining of cobalt and other minerals in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC);
urges the Secretary of State, the Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development, and the Secretary of Labor to identify, assess, and evaluate the United States commercial recipients of cobalt derived through child labor and for-profit or nonprofit entities that benefit indirectly or directly from the commercial use or trade of such cobalt;
calls on the Secretary of State, the Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development, and the Secretary of Labor to coordinate with key stakeholders, particularly industries which utilize or trade in cobalt, and engage private multinational corporations, multilateral organizations, and the nongovernmental organization community to jointly establish an entity or other association with the Government of the DRC, such as the Public-Private Alliance for Responsible Minerals Trade, to partner in developing and implementing plans to reduce child labor and improve working conditions in cobalt mining in the DRC;
calls on the Secretary of State, the Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development, and the Secretary of Labor to develop a strategy and action plan, such as in the Harkin-Engel Protocol for the Growing and Processing of Cocoa Beans, in partnership with the Government of the DRC and the entity or other association outlined above in paragraph (3) to take steps to end the worst forms of child labor in cobalt mining by 2025 by—
removing child labor in the extraction of cobalt, including in artisanal and small-scale mining, and replacing exploitive artisanal mining with other forms of sustainable, productive economic activity to address local needs and support their reintegration into their community;
ensuring that no minerals, including cobalt, that are produced with the use of the worst forms of child labor, in whole or in part, are utilized in any aspect of any company’s business operations, products, or supply chain, and mitigating and eliminating the presence of any child-labor-linked minerals that companies detect in their supply chains or business operations;
conducting due diligence on the source and custody of such cobalt, in accordance with the 5-step due diligence process outlined in the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development’s Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Supply Chains of Minerals from Conflict-Affected and High-Risk Areas;
recommending actions to ensure that sources of cobalt are compliant with restrictions on the worst forms of child labor laws;
ensuring that efforts to end child participation in cobalt mining are properly developed, robust, fully implemented, and monitored, and that training is provided to those responsible for executing these activities and to those enforcing labor laws in mining areas for the Government of the DRC;
supporting the entity or other association outlined above in paragraph (3) in partnering with the Government of the DRC to create a public-private system for routine inspections of artisanal mines;
reporting to government regulatory or law enforcement authorities, as applicable, all cases, instances, or information indicating a reasonable risk of linkages between child labor and the production, sale, or use of minerals; and
making publicly available findings based on a joint assessment of the Government of the DRC and third-party organizations outlined in this paragraph; and
encourages the United States Trade Representative to assess developments in the cobalt and other extractive sectors of the DRC when conducting annual reviews mandated under the Africa Growth and Opportunity Act and the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) program.