On 17 September, Global Rights Compliance (GRC), together with Swedwatch and UNDP, hosted the session “Responsible Minerals Sourcing in Ukraine: Human Rights, Security, and Impacts on European Supply Chains” at the Western Europe Business and Human Rights Forum in Strasbourg.
We extend our thanks to panellists Maryna Kupchuk, Ella Skybenko, Kateryna Buriakovska and Michaela Streibelt for sharing their expertise and perspectives on responsible business conduct as Ukraine becomes an increasingly important partner for the EU in the context of critical minerals and European supply chains.
The discussion highlighted several key priorities:
▪️ Stronger responsible business conduct frameworks, including effective human rights due diligence and practical guidance for companies operating in Ukraine’s extractive sector;
▪️ Continued attention to human rights, environmental and governance risks linked to transition mineral extraction in Ukraine;
▪️ Greater awareness of the supply-chain risks arising from the systematic pillaging of natural resources in Ukraine’s occupied territories, including the need to understand how due diligence responsibilities interact with international humanitarian law;
▪️ The potential of technological and tracking tools to improve supply-chain transparency, while ensuring they support meaningful due diligence rather than box-ticking.
The session underscored the need to ensure that Ukraine’s growing role in European mineral supply chains is matched by strong human rights, environmental and conflict-sensitive safeguards.