Abstract
Target 16.6 of the 2015 Sustainable Development Goals (sdgs) seeks to create ‘effective, accountable and transparent institutions at all levels’ for the purpose of achieving sustainable development. Nevertheless, the inherent vagueness of the notions of transparency and accountability poses difficulties for achieving the target. This is why this article examines how these notions have been conceptualized in international legal discourse and applied in practice. It does so within the context of the trade in natural resources that finance armed conflict, which is considered detrimental to the development opportunities of developing countries. The article examines how two of the most important initiatives in this field, namely the Kimberley Process for the Certification of Rough Diamonds and the oecd Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Supply Chains of Minerals from Conflict-affected and High-risk Areas, operationalize transparency and accountability. It posits that both initiatives fall short of establishing full accountability. However, notwithstanding their flaws and limitations, they make a valuable contribution to achieving target 16.6.
Highlights
The trade in conflict resources is encompassed by the notion of ‘illicit financial flows’, which according to the World Bank refers to ‘cross-border movement
This article compared two non-binding initiatives, which aim at promoting responsible minerals trade, and assessed their contribution to achieving target 16.6 of the Sustainable Development Goals
A central issue that was discussed in this article is how the two initiatives construe transparency and accountability
Summary
The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, para. 39. via free access by target 16.6. The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, para. The current contribution inquires into the underlying purposes of the transparency and accountability standards designed by the two initiatives (section 4). The analysis relates the operation of the standards within these two instruments to the objectives of sdg 16.6 (section 5)
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