Per requirements here:

https://chromium.googlesource.com/chromium/src/+/master/docs/linux_build_instructions.md

And also, every binary version I have seen (verified by ldd) is dynamically linked to gconf.

Gconf is deprecated and unmaintained.

Virtually every part of Gnome and most important apps have been migrated to gsettings.

https://wiki.gnome.org/Initiatives/GnomeGoals/GSettingsMigration

My security policy no longer allows gconf to be installed. The requirement to have it (I don't believe it even has any use case at the present time) should be removed from Chromium.