Report of the Conference “Illegal Trade in Natural Resources - What can Brussels do?” Géraud de Ville Natural Resources, Illicit Flows Natural resources are the backbone of the global economy. Many emerging economies are based on expor:ng natural resources to industrialised countries fuelling global markets in much needed raw materials. In accountable States, the income generated should be used to serve development needs, for example to finance the construc:on of infrastructures or programmes for poverty allevia:on. However, governments some:mes lack the capacity or the legi:macy to regulate the exploita:on of these assets. In these cases, natural resources can become a cause for corrup:on, social disputes and even violent conflicts Washington DC: Institute for Environmental Security, 2010. 2010. Text http://iffoadatabase.trustafrica.org/iff/report_of_the_conference_“illegal_trade_in_natural_resources.pdf