Cracking Down on the Trade in
Blood Diamonds
Source : Global Witness~
Global Witness is working to prevent diamonds from fuelling conflict, human rights abuses and terrorism.
The illicit trade in rough diamonds is one of the greatest threats facing the Kimberley Process certification scheme. Six years afters the scheme's creation, the trafficking of conflict and illicit stones is looking more like a dangerous rule than an exception.
The campaign to combat conflict diamonds is calling for the government-run Kimberley Process Diamond Certification Scheme to be strengthened. The Kimberley Process must require strong government diamond controls that are fully enforced to make sure the diamond industry is not trading in conflict diamonds. The diamond industry as a whole must change the way it operates, and become more transparent and accountable.
Read our closing statement from the Namibia intersessional, June 2009
Read the press release issued ahead of the Namibia intersessional, June 2009
Read more about illicit diamonds and the Kimberley Process in this report from October 2008
Conflict Diamonds
Conflict diamonds, also known as blood diamonds, are diamonds that are used by rebel groups to fuel conflict and civil wars. They have funded brutal conflicts in Africa that have resulted in the death and displacement of millions of people. Diamonds have also been used by terrorist groups such as al-Qaeda to finance their activities and for money-laundering purposes. Only a few African economies have actually benefited from diamonds, while Angola, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Liberia and Sierra Leone are still recovering from widespread devastation resulting from wars fuelled by diamonds. Diamonds are being smuggled out of the rebel-held north of Cote d'Ivoire and out of eastern DRC, and continue to be used for money laundering, tax evasion and organized crime.
Global Witness and the Combating Conflict Diamond Campaign
Global Witness' ‘Combating Conflict Diamonds' campaign, launched in 1998, exposed the role of diamonds in funding conflict. This put the diamond industry, previously shrouded in secrecy, into the international spotlight. Growing international pressure from Global Witness and other NGOs demanded that governments and the diamond trade take action to eliminate the trade in conflict diamonds. In response, in May 2000, the major diamond trading and producing countries, representatives of the diamond industry, and NGOs met in Kimberley, South Africa to determine how to tackle the conflict diamond problem. The meeting, hosted by the South African government, was the start of an important and often contentious three-year negotiating process to establish the Kimberley Process, an international diamond certification scheme.
Global Witness continues to campaign for the effective implementation of the Kimberley Process to help ensure that diamonds can never again fuel conflict and can become a positive force for development.
Links
Go to Combating Conflict Diamonds Media Library
View Global Witness' latest press releases from the Conflict Diamond Campaign.
Global Witness and Amnesty International 2007 Survey: find out what top UK retail jewellers are doing to combat conflict diamonds.
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Blood Diamonds ~
Time to Plug the Gaps
Press Release – 19/06/2009
Press Release – 19/06/2009
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Civil Society Groups warn effectiveness of Kimberley Process compromise
A landmark scheme established in 2003 to prevent trade in conflict diamonds is potentially failing in its objectives, campaigners said today.
Ahead of a key meeting of the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme (KPCS) in Namibia, a coalition of civil society groups said that despite having all the tools in place, the scheme was failing effectively to address issues of non-compliance, smuggling, money laundering and human rights abuses in the world's alluvial diamond fields. The groups highlighted a number of countries where there were issues of concern:
In Zimbabwe there is clear evidence of government-led human rights abuse in diamond mining areas, as well as smuggling and weak internal controls;
Lebanon is exporting significantly more gem-quality rough diamonds than it imports. The problem has been known for months, but the KP has been sluggish in its response;
Over the past two years there has been an astonishing 500% increase in diamond exports from Guinea, a country whose current government has acknowledged widespread corruption in the mining industry. A KP review team visited Guinea in August 2008 but a year later its report has still not been completed, suggesting critical problems in the KP monitoring system;
Venezuela agreed in 2008 that it would suspend its diamond trade until new control systems could be established. A civil society investigative visit to Venezuela in May 2009 found that diamonds are still being mined and smuggled into the world's legitimate trade with complete impunity.
Annie Dunnebacke from Global Witness, said: "The clock is running out on Kimberley Process credibility. The work it was set up to do is vital - it would be scandalous if uncooperative governments and industry succeeded in hobbling it into ineffectiveness".
The civil society groups are repeating calls for action in the following areas:
Human Rights: Civil society organisations propose that the following words be added to the preamble of the main KPCS document: The Kimberley Process shall promote respect for human rights as described in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and shall require their effective recognition and observance in the diamond industries of participating countries, and among the peoples, institutions and territories under their jurisdiction.
Monitoring: The Kimberley Process must significantly improve its monitoring function. Its forthcoming review of Zimbabwe must be thorough, and must provide clear direction where problems are identified. Ongoing problems in Venezuela, Guinea and Lebanon must be addressed and solved as a matter of urgency.
Cutting and Polishing Centres: The KP has long ignored a significant loophole in its control procedures. Civil society organizations call yet again for the KP to ensure that statistics regarding the purchase, use and sale of rough diamonds by cutting and polishing centres are incorporated into its internal control mechanism and reconciled in such a way that rough diamonds do not bypass other internal control measures.
Alfred Brownell from Green Advocates, Liberia, said: "Namibia was a founding member of the Kimberley Process and as current Chair of the scheme should be a leader in ensuring an effective and efficient diamond certification system. The Kimberley Process must be a force for development in Africa's diamond-rich nations and take a clear stand against human rights abuses."
Susanne Emond from Partnership Africa Canada, said: "The Kimberley Process must fulfill its potential to ensure a clean diamond trade. We are calling on the diamond industry to join with us in demanding that governments enforce the scheme's rules with greater commitment and timeliness."
Ends
Signed: Centre du Commerce International pour le Développement (CECIDE), Conakry; Fatal Transactions, Amsterdam; Global Witness, London; Green Advocates, Monrovia; Groupe de Recherche et de Plaidoyer sur les Industries Extractives (GRPIE) , Abidjan; Network Movement for Justice and Development, Freetown; Partnership Africa Canada, Ottawa
Contacts:
In Namibia: Annie Dunnebacke, adunnebacke@globalwitness.org, +264 814 482893 or +44 7703108 401
In London: Amy Barry, abarry@globalwitness.org, +44 7980 664 397
In Ottawa: Bernard Taylor, btaylor@pacweb.org, +1 613 237 6768 ext. 3 or +1 819 664 5134
Notes: The Kimberley Process (KP) is a government-led rough diamond certification scheme created to halt and prevent the trade in conflict diamonds that led to the death and displacement of millions of people in Angola, Sierra Leone, DRC, Liberia and Côte d'Ivoire. Member states are required to pass national legislation and set up an import/export control system to implement the KP. Over 75 of the world's diamond producing, trading and manufacturing countries participate in the scheme.
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Governments urged to renew commitments as diamond meeting closes
Press Release – 26/06/2009
A coalition of civil society organisations acknowledged some progress at the close of the sixth Intersessional meeting of Kimberley Process Certification Scheme in Windhoek, Namibia this week but said that more action was needed from governments to ensure the scheme's effectiveness. The government-led scheme was established in 2003 to prevent the trade in blood diamonds but has faced challenges since its inception.
In particular, civil society groups have frequently emphasised the need for Kimberley Process participant governments and working groups more promptly to investigate statistical anomalies and illicit cross-border trade between participants.
Susanne Emond from Partnership Africa Canada said: "There has been constructive discussion this week regarding improvements to Kimberley Process statistical analysis and some steps have been taken to address questions raised by trade data from Guinea and Lebanon. We urge participant governments to strengthen internal controls and improve monitoring systems in producing countries but also in trading and cutting and polishing centres."
The groups welcomed the commitment by KP members to develop a multi-stakeholder regional task force to address implementation of the scheme in West Africa. They said that the trade in conflict diamonds from Cote d'Ivoire was an issue of serious concern.
The groups joined the World Diamond Council in calling for governments to translate the positive discussions held at the Intersessional into strong commitments and concrete actions to close the loopholes that continue to compromise the effectiveness of the Kimberley Process.
A significant concern going into the meeting was the need for Kimberley Process participant governments to address cases of serious non-compliance by some members. In particular, campaigners sounded the alarm about the human rights abuses, militarisation of mining and diamond smuggling taking place in Zimbabwe's diamond sector. A KP team will visit the country next week.
Annie Dunnebacke from Global Witness said, "We sincerely hope that the upcoming Kimberley Process review mission to Zimbabwe is given unfettered access to the sites and people it needs to see. We urge the Government of Zimbabwe to fulfil its pledge to guarantee the safety of all individuals and groups the team meets."
The theme of Namibia's current Chairmanship of the scheme is "Diamonds for Development."
Alfred Brownell from Green Advocates, Liberia said: "We were encouraged by the constructive discussion around human rights and development held at this meeting and we echo Namibia's Deputy Prime Minister Dr Amathila's call for the Kimberley Process' human rights mandate to be given the consideration it deserves within the implementation of the scheme.
"Kimberley Process participating governments should ensure that their diamond sectors actively contribute to development. Conflicts often find their roots in poverty; however, if used wisely, revenues from the diamond trade can be a driver of development and stability."
/ Ends
Press Release – 26/06/2009
A coalition of civil society organisations acknowledged some progress at the close of the sixth Intersessional meeting of Kimberley Process Certification Scheme in Windhoek, Namibia this week but said that more action was needed from governments to ensure the scheme's effectiveness. The government-led scheme was established in 2003 to prevent the trade in blood diamonds but has faced challenges since its inception.
In particular, civil society groups have frequently emphasised the need for Kimberley Process participant governments and working groups more promptly to investigate statistical anomalies and illicit cross-border trade between participants.
Susanne Emond from Partnership Africa Canada said: "There has been constructive discussion this week regarding improvements to Kimberley Process statistical analysis and some steps have been taken to address questions raised by trade data from Guinea and Lebanon. We urge participant governments to strengthen internal controls and improve monitoring systems in producing countries but also in trading and cutting and polishing centres."
The groups welcomed the commitment by KP members to develop a multi-stakeholder regional task force to address implementation of the scheme in West Africa. They said that the trade in conflict diamonds from Cote d'Ivoire was an issue of serious concern.
The groups joined the World Diamond Council in calling for governments to translate the positive discussions held at the Intersessional into strong commitments and concrete actions to close the loopholes that continue to compromise the effectiveness of the Kimberley Process.
A significant concern going into the meeting was the need for Kimberley Process participant governments to address cases of serious non-compliance by some members. In particular, campaigners sounded the alarm about the human rights abuses, militarisation of mining and diamond smuggling taking place in Zimbabwe's diamond sector. A KP team will visit the country next week.
Annie Dunnebacke from Global Witness said, "We sincerely hope that the upcoming Kimberley Process review mission to Zimbabwe is given unfettered access to the sites and people it needs to see. We urge the Government of Zimbabwe to fulfil its pledge to guarantee the safety of all individuals and groups the team meets."
The theme of Namibia's current Chairmanship of the scheme is "Diamonds for Development."
Alfred Brownell from Green Advocates, Liberia said: "We were encouraged by the constructive discussion around human rights and development held at this meeting and we echo Namibia's Deputy Prime Minister Dr Amathila's call for the Kimberley Process' human rights mandate to be given the consideration it deserves within the implementation of the scheme.
"Kimberley Process participating governments should ensure that their diamond sectors actively contribute to development. Conflicts often find their roots in poverty; however, if used wisely, revenues from the diamond trade can be a driver of development and stability."
/ Ends
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Additional Reading :
" ...it is wrong to blame the problems of today's Africa entirely on colonialism. Much of history consists of peoples conquering or colonizing each other. Yet, from Ireland to South Korea, countries that were once ruthlessly colonized have nonetheless managed to build reasonably just and democratic societies.
The reasons most of Africa has not done so go far beyond the colonial heritage. One factor is the abysmal position of women and all of the violence, repression, and prejudices that go with that. Another is the deep-seated cultural tolerance and even hero-worship of strongmen like Mobutu, for whom politics is largely a matter of enriching themselves and their extended clan or ethnic group.
Finally, perhaps above all, is the way the long history of indigenous slavery is still deeply and disastrously woven into the African social fabric. These same handicaps exist elsewhere. Discrimination against women retards social and economic progress in many countries. " : Adam Hochschild
The reasons most of Africa has not done so go far beyond the colonial heritage. One factor is the abysmal position of women and all of the violence, repression, and prejudices that go with that. Another is the deep-seated cultural tolerance and even hero-worship of strongmen like Mobutu, for whom politics is largely a matter of enriching themselves and their extended clan or ethnic group.
Finally, perhaps above all, is the way the long history of indigenous slavery is still deeply and disastrously woven into the African social fabric. These same handicaps exist elsewhere. Discrimination against women retards social and economic progress in many countries. " : Adam Hochschild
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Kimberley Process Fails Part 2 Interview with Ian Smillie: ~Why He's Ditching the Kimberley Process
Diamond Dealers : Pariahs of the Future ? Sierra Leone Diamonds Test Kimberley Process
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Diamond Imports
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Fair Trade Diamonds
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