TMU CSR Institute zoom session: Balancing Development and Ecological Justice in the DRC - in conversation with Dr. Toussaint

The Institute for the Study of Corporate Social Responsibility at Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) and Canadian Jesuits International (external link)  are pleased to co-present an online zoom session - “Balancing Development and Ecological Justice in the Democratic Republic of the Congo": in conversation with Dr. Toussaint Kafarhire (SJ, PhD) - on Monday, June 15, 2026, from 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. (Toronto time). Further details can be found below.

To register (no cost, everyone welcome) click here (external link) , then press the "get tickets" button. Space is limited, so register soon.

To access Zoom on Monday, June 15 at 12:00 pm (Toronto time) click here (external link)  to patch-in for the live session. This session is exclusively a zoom event: there is no in-person component. The session will be recorded and will be accessible after the fact on the TMU CSR Institute website.

Information will be provided during the session re: how to submit questions.

About this Session

Dr. Toussaint Kafarhire, SJ, Director of the Arrupe Center for Research and Training (CARF) in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, will explore the human and environmental cost of the global demand for critical minerals. He will examine the issue by using the experiences of the communities in Haut-Katanga, Democratic Republic of Congo as case studies.

As momentum grows around the world to move toward less environmentally harmful sources of energy, the temptation is to focus on the technological advances, and not the environmental and social foundational underpinnings that make the green technologies possible. A major objective of this talk is to raise awareness and highlight the paradox between the ideal of energy transition and the extraction of minerals essential for transition technologies. The talk brings into focus how the race for transition technologies in the North has impacted and changed the socio-economic, environmental and climate trajectory of local communities in the Democratic Republic of Congo, through less sustainable and unethical extraction policies and technologies. Also explored will be the question of what is needed to make a truly circular, sustainable and equitable energy transition of the upstream and downstream transition technology value chains.

About the Speaker

Toussaint Kafarhire, S.J., is the director of the Centre Arrupe for Research and Training (CARF) i (external link) n the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Before earning his PhD in global politics and international relations from Loyola University Chicago in 2016, he received a BA in philosophy in 1998, a second BA in theology in 2003, and an STL degree in ethics and social theories from Santa Clara University in California in 2005.

He has lectured at various institutions worldwide, including Université Loyola du Congo in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC); the Hekima Institute of Peace Studies in Kenya; the Episcopal Theological College in Pécs, Hungary; Sophia University in Japan; and Loyola University Chicago in the United States (U.S.). His research interests include international relations, global politics, public health, social justice, ethical leadership, societal issues, democracy, and African politics.

He is an alumnus of the U.S. State Department's Humphrey Fellowship Program at Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government and the Academy of Executive Coaching in Nairobi.

About the Co-sponsor

Canadian Jesuits International  (external link) (CJI) is the international solidarity agency of the Jesuits of Canada. It is a non-profit, non-governmental, faith-based organization dedicated to sustainable international solidarity.

About the Moderator

Dr. Kernaghan Webb holds Bachelor's, Master's and Doctorate degrees in law, and is an Associate Professor in the Toronto Metropolitan University Department of Law and Business. He is also the Founding Director of the TMU Institute for the Study of Corporate Social Responsibility. Prof. Webb's extensive law and regulation research and publications have among other things been cited and quoted  (external link) by the Supreme Court of Canada. Dr. Webb has also been employed by or advised governments and inter-governmental bodies, and he has been on the board of directors or otherwise assisted private sector, civil society organizations on regulatory matters. Professor Webb was appointed Special Advisor to the UN Global Compact regarding the development of the ISO 26000 social responsibility standard, he has played leadership roles in the development of international and national social and economic standards, and received international and national recognition for his leadership.