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Diamond industry
See also sections of this website entitled:
Websites:
The Campaign to Eliminate Conflict Diamonds
Campaigns - Conflict Diamonds (Amnesty International, International Secretariat)
The Clean Diamonds Act ([U.S.] House of Representatives) (Campaign to Eliminate Conflict Diamonds)
Conflict Diamonds (Diamonds.net)
Conflict Diamonds (Global Witness)
Conflict Diamonds (Jewelers of America)
Conflict Diamonds: Sanctions and War (United Nations)
Diamonds in Conflict (Global Policy Forum)
End the trade in conflict diamonds (One Sky: The Canadian Institute for Sustainable Living)
Human Security and the International Diamond Trade in Africa program
Kimberley Process Certification Scheme [conflict diamonds] (Kimberley delegates, 5 Nov. 2002)
The true cost of diamonds (Amnesty International)
2003:
Kimberley Process still in process - Progress made, but key issues remain - Representatives of Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) attending the First Plenary Meeting of the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme (KPCS) welcomed international commitment to take additional effective steps to break the link between diamonds and human rights violations and conflict in Africa. However, governments failed to take action on an element critical to the credibility of the Scheme - the need for regular, independent monitoring of all participants, to ensure that the process is not subject to abuse. (joint press release by Action Aid [UK and Sierra Leone], Amnesty International [International Secretariat], Cenadep [DRC], Fatal Transactions [The Netherlands], Global Witness [UK], Network Movement for Justice and Development [Sierra Leone], Oxfam International, Partnership Africa Canada [Canada] World Vision [USA], 30 Apr. 2003)
The Kimberley Process to curb conflict diamonds - Early Achievements, Congressional Action, Next Steps - Critical Challenges in Phase Two of the Kimberley Process (Rory More O'Ferrall, De Beers Group, remarks to Center for Strategic and International Studies, Washington DC, 11 Apr. 2003)
US Lawmakers Support International Agreement to Ban 'Conflict' Diamonds - The U.S. Senate is expected to follow the House of Representatives and pass legislation this week aimed at banning international trade in uncut diamonds that fund rebel activities in Africa. The legislation is required for the United States to implement an international agreement [Kimberly Process Certification Scheme] to ban trade in so-called 'blood' or 'conflict' diamonds. (Deborah Tate, Voice of America, 10 Apr. 2003)
US firm faces $1bn claim for complicity [South Africa] - Fluor, the biggest US publicly traded engineering and construction company, faces a $1 billion claim by black former workers who allege they were discriminated against under apartheid. Anglo American, the world's second-biggest mining company, and diamond producer De Beers also face a lawsuit by former employees who say they were enslaved, beaten and tortured under apartheid. Lawyer Ed Fagan said a lawsuit would be filed today in California federal courts. The suit will argue that Fluor paid blacks less than whites and that the company helped repress workers during a 1987 strike in which two were killed. (Jonathan Rosenthal and Antony Sguazzin, Business Report [South Africa], 7 Apr. 2003)
BOTSWANA: Diamonds are not forever -...according to a report by the Diamonds and Human Security Project of the Montreal-based organisation Partnership Africa Canada, while the impact of diamonds on the economy has been clear, the "trickle down" benefits in terms of the country's social indicators have been less discernable...Botswana is by far the world's largest diamond producer by value. They are mined by the De Beers-Botswana Mining Company (Debswana), a private unlisted company jointly owned by De Beers and the government. (UN Integrated Regional Information Networks, 27 Mar. 2003)
Confusion Greets KP [Kimberley Process certification scheme] Startup (Other Facets: News and views on the international effort to end conflict diamonds, #9, pg. 1, Mar. 2003)
World Diamond Council Releases Kimberley Guide -...The guide describes the Kimberley process agreement and spells out long-awaited details of the industry's proposed chain of warranties. (Other Facets: News and views on the international effort to end conflict diamonds, #9, pg. 2, Mar. 2003)
Diamond Peace Alliance Inaugurated in Sierra Leone -...The objective of the Peace Alliance, which has been developed over the past two years by USAID in consultation with NGOs and the private sector, is 'to help ensure that the Sierra Leone diamond industry contributes positively to peace and prosperity through increasing benefits to the people of Kono from the diamond industry and by helping the government to improve its ability to manage diamonds.' (Other Facets: News and views on the international effort to end conflict diamonds, #9, pg. 3, Mar. 2003)
100,000 Petition Botswana to Protect Bushmen -...They and their advocates claim that the government--one of the wealthiest in Africa due to Botswana's small population and its huge diamond industry--wants to remove the Bushmen to increase tourism to the Reserve and exploit recently discovered diamond fields. (Jim Lobe, OneWorld US, 16 Feb. 2003)
Activists Cast Valentines Spotlight on "Conflict Diamond" - A new campaign to be launched Friday, Valentine's Day, aims to persuade consumers in the United States not to buy diamonds mined in African war zones and to urge U.S. lawmakers to quickly pass legislation barring the import of "conflict diamonds." (Alison Raphael, OneWorld US, 14 Feb. 2003)
Irene Khan's [Amnesty International Secretary-General Irene Khan] Speech at the World Economic Forum, Davos -...We will now campaign for legal accountability of corporations for human rights under international law...Of course, companies tell us we should trust them, that their voluntary principles will do the trick. But in reality it took violence and unrest around oil pipelines and oil installations in Nigeria, Colombia and Indonesia to bring oil companies in the US, UK and now Norway and the Netherlands to endorse voluntary principles for the use of security forces in the extractive industry. It was fear of a consumer boycott and concerted effort by NGOs that led governments and industry to put in place the Kimberly process for international certification of diamonds so that conflict diamonds could be eradicated. Voluntary codes are important but Amnesty International is convinced that voluntarism alone is not enough. (Irene Khan, Secretary-General, Amnesty International, speech delivered to the World Economic Forum, Davos, 23 Jan. 2003)
2002:
No Problems Here: Success, Complacency & Suspicion in the Indian Diamond Industry - Occasional Paper of the Diamonds and Human Security Project, examining the Indian diamond industry, the world's major cutting and polishing centre. While the report finds no direct evidence of conflict diamonds in India, the Indian diamond industry - like others - must ensure that effective international mechanisms are implemented to stop the trade in conflict diamonds. (Vinod Kuriyan, Canadian NGO Partnership Africa Canada, 9 Dec. 2002)
chapter 10 of "The Business of War": Drugs, Diamonds and Deadly Cargoes [regarding arms dealer Leonid Minin; refers to Sierra Leone, Liberia] (Center for Public Integrity’s International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, 18 Nov. 2002)
'Conflict Free' Diamonds — A Competitive Edge? [regarding De Beers] (G. Pascal Zachary, on Business for Social Responsibility website, 12 Nov. 2002)
chapter 7: The Adventure Capitalist [Niko Shefer] [refers to South Africa, Liberia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Zimbabwe, mining industry, diamond industry, arms industry] (Center for Public Integrity’s International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, 11 Nov. 2002)
chapter 6: Conflict Diamonds are Forever [refers to De Beers, Kimberley Diamond Exchange, De Decker Diamonds] (Center for Public Integrity’s International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, 8 Nov. 2002)
Diamond states bar war zone stones - Forty-five countries engaged in the diamond trade finally signed a new scheme to stem the flow of "conflict" diamonds yesterday. (Ewen MacAskill, Guardian [UK], 6 Nov. 2002)
DR Congo sacks diamond mine heads - President Joseph Kabila has dismissed the management committee of the Democratic Republic of Congo's state diamond mining company, Miba...The decree comes two weeks after the publication of a United Nations report which accused senior Congolese officials of plundering the country's mineral wealth during its four-year war. The report alleged the board and senior members of the Congolese Government funnelled billions of dollars of state assets into the hands of private companies. (Mark Dummett, BBC News, 2 Nov. 2002)
Diamonds fuel CAR [Central African Republic] conflicts (Keith Somerville, BBC News, 30 Oct. 2002)
Oryx Refutes UN Report - An executive from Oryx Natural Resources slammed a United Nations (UN) report on conflict diamonds October 25, refuting allegations that his firm traffics in illegal goods. (Peter C. Mastrosimone, Rapaport News, Diamonds.Net, 28 Oct. 2002)
Jewellers 'ignorant' over conflict diamonds - UK jewellers are woefully unprepared for the introduction of new rules aimed at curbing the trade of diamonds from war-torn Africa, according to a survey. (BBC News, 28 Oct. 2002)
Kimberley Audit Firm Founded - A new audit company has been created to certify diamonds under the Kimberley Process. (Peter C. Mastrosimone, Rapaport News, Diamonds.Net, 25 Oct. 2002)
DRC: Negative reactions from those named in UN Panel report - Individuals, companies and governments named in the latest UN report on the illegal exploitation of natural resources of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) have, so far, denied their involvement...The De Beers spokesman in South Africa, Brian Roodt, told IRIN on Tuesday that his company was puzzled by its inclusion in the report...Meanwhile, Anglo American issued a statement saying it had had no operations in the Congo "for several years". (IRIN - U.N. Integrated Regional Information Networks, 23 Oct. 2002)
DRC: Rights group denounces abuses in diamond fields - The human rights group Amnesty International has denounced abuses, including summary executions, which it says are taking place in the diamond fields in government-held parts of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (IRIN - U.N. Integrated Regional Information Networks, 23 Oct. 2002)
Mine deaths [at the Loxton Exploration diamond mine] shock rescuers [South Africa] (Jeanne-Marié Versluis, Volksblad, 18 Oct. 2002)
Bill C-14 - Export and Import of Rough Diamonds Act - Legislation tabled with the Canadian parliament October 10, 2002, providing for controls on the export, import or transit across Canada of rough diamonds, and for a certification scheme for the export of rough diamonds in order to meet Canada's obligations under the Kimberley Process. (House of Commons of Canada, 15 Oct. 2002)
Workshop on the Plunder of DRC's Natural Resources - Conclusions and Recommendations from a workshop held in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo, August 5 - 7, 2002 on Diamonds and the Plunder of the Democratic Republic of the Congo's Natural Resources: where to find the resources for reconstruction and the fight against poverty? (CENADEP - Centre National d'appui au Développement et à la Participation Populaire and Partnership Africa Canada, 9 Oct. 2002)
SOUTHERN AFRICA: Diamond certification scheme ready - The British-based lobby group Global Witness on Monday said it was optimistic that African countries would be ready to launch an international diamond certification scheme in November. (U.N. Integrated Regional Information Networks, 30 Sep. 2002)
Sierra Leone gets help in promoting good governance -...Sylvia Fletcher, senior governance advisor with UNDP Sierra Leone, asked participants to reflect on fundamental questions as they discussed national and local governance issues:..."Why are the diamond mining areas as poor, or poorer, than the rest of the country?" (U.N. Development Programme, 27 Sep. 2002)
WDC: U.S. Can Enforce Kimberley Now - The United States can adhere to the Kimberley protocols for diamond certification without waiting for Congress to enact new legislation, according to Matt Runci, president of Jewelers of America (JA) and executive director of the World Diamond Council (WDC). (Peter C. Mastrosimone, Rapaport News, 24 Sep. 2002)
From diamonds to development [India] - The Bhansalis [one of India’s leading diamond merchants] have ploughed a substantial part of their profits from the diamond trade into health, women’s education and disaster management since 1969 (InfoChange [India]) [added to this website on 10 Sep. 2002]
Other Facets #7 - Diamonds & Human Security Project Newsletter reporting on the Kimberley Process and the G8, developments in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, US & EC response to the Kimberley Process, etc. (Partnership Africa Canada, 6 Sep. 2002)
UN to focus on corporate help to fight Aids - The United Nations has abandoned its policy of relying on governments to tackle the HIV/Aids crisis in the developing world, saying it would now help fund corporate initiatives to provide anti-retroviral drugs to sufferers...Richard Holbrooke, president of the Global Business Coalition on Aids, a grouping of 75 international companies, and former US ambassador to the UN, said the policy change was "an important step in the right direction". He said: "If Anglo American and De Beers take leadership, it will pressure other companies to take similar steps. It will finally get corporations to take up their role in the process [to fight HIV/Aids]. Up to now, business has been doing less than 10 per cent of what they should have done." (James Lamont, Financial Times, 29 Aug. 2002)
Why Donor Funds Don't Reach NGO Coffers [South Africa] [refers to Tshikululu Social Investment (TSI) Fund, one of the biggest corporate social investment programmes in South Africa, which manages social investment portfolios for AngloGold, De Beers, Anglo American and the First Rand Foundation] (Fazila Farouk, AllAfrica, 8 Aug. 2002)
Clean Diamond Act Unlikely to Pass in Current Form [USA] - The Clean Diamond Trade Act is unlikely to be passed in its current form and a new bill must be introduced to comply with the tenets of the Kimberly Process, according to U.S. House of Representative officials. (Rapaport News, 28 July 2002)
Brazil spies on Amazon loggers - Brazil has launched a $1.4bn radar system to spy on illegal loggers, miners and drug runners in the Amazon rainforest. (BBC News, 25 July 2002)
Those who bear the scars of SA mines hail new law [South Africa] - Many who contributed to the wealth of the nation still live in poverty -...Minerals and Energy Minister Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka has used Pondoland and Kimberley, the diamond-mining centre of the Northern Cape, as an example of how the previous laws ignored the development of communities from whom labour and resources were drawn. "Communities that live in close proximity to rich resources should be addressed in a manner that takes them out of poverty," she said. (Sechaba Ka'Nkosi, Sunday Times [South Africa], 30 June 2002)
[Botswana] Bushmen protests hit USA and Switzerland - Two key diamond markets targeted - The rolling campaign of protests at the illegal eviction of Bushmen from the Central Kalahari Game Reserve has spread to two of the most important countries for the diamond industry – the USA and Switzerland. (Survival International, 19 July 2002)
Bushmen campaign spreads to Canada - Protests outside diamond conference - In another sign that the campaign for Gana and Gwi Bushmen rights [in Botswana] is spreading across the world, Survival has learnt that there was a large protest today outside the World Diamond Conference in Vancouver, Canada. (Survival International, 17 June 2002)
Partnership Canada Releases Conflict Diamonds Report - Partnership Canada published a report on June 14 that links conflicts in African nations such as The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Angola to the illicit trade of conflict diamonds. (Rapaport News, 14 June 2002)
Liberia Takes Steps To Monitor Diamond Traffic (Rapaport News, 12 June 2002)
End Child Labour, World's Unions Say - One child in five is at work - most in dangerous jobs -..."Child labour is found in a number of ICEM industries," he [Fred Higg, ICEM General Secretary] emphasised, "notably in the very hazardous sectors of mining, diamond and gem polishing and building materials" (ICEM - International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers' Unions, 12 June 2002)
World Diamond Council Affirms Support for Kimberley Process (Rapaport News, 5 June 2002)
Other Facets [a periodic newsletter about the international effort to end diamond-related conflict], issue number 6 - articles covering Kimberley Process; U.S. legislation; Liberia; Angola] (Partnership Africa Canada, May 2002) [to download this pdf file directly, click here: http://www.partnershipafricacanada.org/pdf/Other_Facets6.pdf]
Congo [Democratic Republic of Congo] Signs On To Kimberley Process [conflict diamonds] (Rapaport News, 22 Apr. 2002)
UN Sanctions Curb Liberian Diamond Trade (Rapaport News, 17 Apr. 2002)
LIBERIA: U.N. Panel To Recommend Extending Sanctions, Report Says [refers to conflict diamonds] (UN Wire, 17 Apr. 2002)
De Beers’ O’Ferrall Gives Conflict Diamonds Speech at Basel: The director of public and corporate affairs for De Beers...stressed the importance of continuing to work towards combating conflict diamond trading. (Rapaport News, 9 Apr. 2002)
International and U.S. solutions to the problem of "conflict diamonds", gems whose mining and export is tainted by violence and terrorism (Anita Ramasastry, Assistant Professor of Law at the University of Washington School of Law in Seattle and Associate Director of Shidler Center for Law, Commerce & Technology, FindLaw's Legal Commentary, 3 Apr. 2002)
Blood Diamonds Kept War Flowing [Angola]: Angola's Unita rebels, who signed a ceasefire deal with the army on Saturday, had lost most of their territory since 1998 but managed to keep fighting because of their illegal trade in diamonds. (South African Press Association, 2 Apr. 2002)
UN monitors sanctions on Liberia:...The sanctions include a ban on diamond exports (BBC News, 1 Apr. 2002)
Broadening the Corporate Commitment to HIV and AIDS [refers to positive steps by Coca-Cola, Hewlett-Packard, Unilever, Anglo American, BHP Billiton, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Merck, DaimerChrysler, De Beers] (Business for Social Responsibility, Apr. 2002)
The Economies of Conflict - Private Sector Activities and Armed Conflict [series of reports analysing the connections between private sector activity and armed conflict, and ways to break the cycle of violence] (Fafo Institute for Applied Social Science, 25 Mar. 2002)
Kimberley Process Makes Headway, But No Final Agreement [conflict diamonds] (Rapaport News, 25 Mar. 2002)
Sierra Leone Can’t Control Illicit Diamond Smuggling (Rapaport News, 25 Mar. 2002)
U.S.: Diamonds Issue Still Needs Polishing: Oxfam America and the Campaign to Eliminate Conflict Diamonds today welcomed the introduction of new legislation in the United States Senate to combat the trade in conflict diamonds. (Oxfam America, 21 Mar. 2002)
Support for a new Senate version of the Clean Diamond Trade Act [USA] (The Washington Office on Africa, 21 Mar. 2002)
Conflict Diamonds Bill Introduced in [U.S.] Senate:...The bipartisan legislation would broaden the definition of conflict diamonds and work to combat their importation into the U.S. (Rapaport News, 20 Mar. 2002)
WDC to Implement Warranty System to Combat Conflict Diamonds: The World Diamond Council (WDC) announced at its meeting in Milan that it will implement its own system of controls to combat the trade of conflict diamonds. (Rapaport News, 18 Mar. 2002)
Diamonds: Forever or for Good? The Economic Impact of Diamonds in Southern Africa - Occasional Paper of the Diamonds and Human Security Project investigating the extent to which diamonds contribute to development in South Africa, Namibia and Botswana, countries which have been the most vocal champions of "diamonds for development". (Ralph Hazleton, Diamonds and Human Security Project, website of Partnership Africa Canada, 18 Mar. 2002)
DRC [Democratic Republic of the Congo]: Kimberley Process a "watchdog without teeth" - Describing the global diamond certification system thus far agreed upon in the Kimberley Process "a watchdog without teeth...", the Fatal Transactions network nongovernmental organisation is organising a meeting of experts in the European Parliament in Brussels...to "ensure that the EU takes its responsibility in stopping the vicious circle of trade and terror that continues fuelling Africa's most brutal wars". (U.N. Integrated Regional Information Networks, 5 Mar. 2002)
United Nations: Protect the Displaced in Angola - Government Should Provide Data on Oil and Diamond Revenue (Human Rights Watch, 5 Mar. 2002)
Oil, Drugs, and Diamonds: How Do Natural Resources Vary in their Impact on Civil War? (Professor Michael Ross, UCLA, produced for International Peace Academy project on Economic Agendas in Civil Wars, 13 Feb. 2002)
Diamond Industry, Governments Get Failing Marks on Effort to Develop International Diamond Certification System: As Valentine's Day approaches, Amnesty International and eight non governmental organizations (NGOs) have given failing marks to industry and governmental efforts to develop proposals for an international diamond certification system. (Amnesty International USA, 13 Feb. 2002)
RIGHTS: U.S. Senators Push Law Against 'Conflict Diamonds' - Senators urged fellow lawmakers here Thursday to stop the flow of so-called ''conflict diamonds,'' citing reported links between alleged al-Qaeda terrorists and global trade in illicit gems. [refers to Sierra Leone, Angola, Democratic Republic of Congo]. (Danielle Knight, Inter Press Service, 13 Feb. 2002)
Diamonds: Valentine's Day 2002: for many people, diamonds do not symbolize love, but conflict, misery and poverty - In Angola, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Sierra Leone, proceeds from the sale of diamonds have funded civil wars resulting in horrendous human rights abuses (Amnesty International, 13 Feb. 2002)
Indigenous Peoples Meet at First Indigenous Peoples Global Conference to Set Priorities and Impact New UN Body [U.N. Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues] - Peru President Alejandro Toledo to Give Keynote Address Via Video - New York City - February 21-24, 2002:...Workshops will examine the impact of economic development and extractive industries (oil, diamonds and uranium). (Partnership for Indigenous Peoples Environment, 1 Feb. 2002)
Congo Diamond Trade Tied to Terrorism [Democratic Republic of Congo] (Rapaport News, referring to 30 Dec. 2001 Washington Post article, on Diamonds.Net website, 3 Jan. 2002)
2001:
UN Worried At Illicit Diamond Trade: The U.N. Security Council says it is still concerned over the role of illicit diamonds in the conflict in Sierra Leone. (Business Day [South Africa], 20 Dec. 2001)'Conflict diamonds' evade UN sanctions: Improvements in Sierra Leone, but continuing violations in Angola and Liberia - Diamonds and other natural resources are continuing to finance armed conflicts in Angola and the Mano River Union states of Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea despite improved enforcement and monitoring of UN arms and diamond sanctions (Michael Fleshman, Africa Recovery [U.N. Department of Public Information], Dec. 2001)
Can Controls Work? A Review of the Angolan Diamond Control System (Global Witness, Dec. 2001)
House Passes Conflict Diamond Bill:...Industry organizations that lobbied for the bill include Jewelers of America (JA), Jewelers Vigilance Committee (JVC), the American Gem Society (AGS), and the Manufacturing Jewelers and Suppliers of America (MJSA). (RapNews, on Diamonds.net, 28 Nov. 2001)
Kimberley Process Delegates Reach Tentative Agreement: Participants at the plenary meeting of the Kimberley Process...reached consensus on a tentative agreement to help stem the trade of conflict diamonds. (RapNews, on Diamonds.net, 29 Nov. 2001)
RUF Rebels Introduces Forced Labour in Diamond Mining Town [Sierra Leone] (Osman Benk Sankoh, Concord Times [Sierra Leone], 27 Nov. 2001)
Gem Unions Want Industry Dialogue: World's diamond, gem, jewellery and ornament unions call for global agreements with companies - Talks should cover the full range of issues affecting workers in the industry, the unions said, including health, safety and environment, child labour and employment standards. (ICEM - the International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers' Unions, 27 Nov. 2001)
'Diamonds disrupt disarmament': Sierra Leonean rebels and loyalist militiamen eager to fill their pockets with diamonds are stalling a disarmament programme to end a brutal 10-year civil war, UN military officials have said. (Christo Johnson, Reuters, in News24 [South Africa], 26 Nov. 2001)
Gem Industry Seeks Child Labour Ban: Child labour could be ended in the gemstone cutting and polishing industry under recommendations unanimously approved today by international union leaders from the sector. (ICEM - the International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers' Unions, 23 Nov. 2001)
LIBERIA: Government probes suspected violation on UN diamond ban (U.N. Integrated Regional Information Network, 22 Nov. 2001)
Delegates Call for Strict Monitoring of Sierra Leone Mining: Delegates attending a three-day national consultative conference in Sierra Leone called for a stricter monitoring of the mining sector where the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) rebels have used conflict diamonds to finance its civil war. (Rapaport News, on Diamonds.Net, 16 Nov. 2001)
HRD Refutes Washington Post Accusations of Ties to Al-Qaida: The Diamond High Council (HRD) claims that there is a lack of hard evidence for the accusations in a November 2 Washington Post article that claims people with ties to the al-Qaida terrorist network sold illicit diamonds from Sierra Leone to Belgium and other European markets through a safe house in Liberia. (Rapaport News, on Diamonds.Net, 15 Nov. 2001)
U.S. Congress Moves on Conflict Diamonds Legislation: Responding to a Washington Post article’s disclosure of Osama bin Laden’s ties to conflict diamonds, Senator Dick Durbin (D-Illinois), Rep. Tony Hall (D-Ohio) and Senator Mike DeWine (R-Ohio) held a press conference on November 8 to urge immediate action on the conflict diamonds legislation pending in Congress. (Rapaport News, on Diamonds.Net, 8 Nov. 2001)
Progress Made at Kimberley Process Meeting in Luanda [regarding conflict diamonds] (Rapaport News, on Diamonds.Net, 8 Nov. 2001)
'Blood Diamonds' Fund More Than Terrorism:..."Blood diamonds" provide the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) in Sierra Leone with between $25 million and $125 million per year. They not only financed the RUF's war; they continue to be a major impediment to the establishment of lasting peace in that country and throughout the West African region, despite the continuing efforts of the United Nations. (letter to the editor, from Jake Sherman, Program Officer in the Economic Agendas in Civil Wars Project of the International Peace Academy, in Washington Post, 7 Nov. 2001)
Blood On the Diamonds:...Eighteen months ago the government of South Africa convened representatives of 38 diamond-producing and trading nations, human rights activists and diamond industry representatives, in Kimberley, South Africa, to develop a comprehensive trade system to eliminate conflict gems from the legitimate diamond trade...Unfortunately, the world's largest importer of diamond jewelry, the United States, has stalled, criticized and equivocated throughout negotiations, leaving to others the arduous task of negotiating the complicated system of controls. (Holly Burkhalter, Advocacy Director of Physicians for Human Rights, in Washington Post, 6 Nov. 2001)
De Beers and JA Respond to Al-Qaida Tie to Conflict Diamonds: De Beers and Jewelers of America (JA) issued separate statements on November 6 responding to a Washington Post report that suggested that the al-Qaida terrorist network was profiting from the trade of conflict diamonds. Both De Beers and JA urged swift passage of the Clean Diamonds Trade Act and a conclusion to the Kimberley Process. What follows are the statements issued by the two parties (Rapaport News, on Diamonds.Net, 6 Nov. 2001)
Qaeda Cash Tied to Diamond Trade: Sale of Gems From Sierra Leone Rebels Raised Millions, Sources Say - The terrorist network led by Osama bin Laden has reaped millions of dollars in the past three years from the illicit sale of diamonds mined by rebels in Sierra Leone, according to U.S. and European intelligence officials and two sources with direct knowledge of events. (Douglas Farah, Washington Post, 2 Nov. 2001)
Conflict Diamonds And the Global Fight (Lansana Gberiea, Research Associate of Partnership Africa Canada, in Concord Times [Sierra Leone], 23 Oct. 2001)
Diamond industry still funding Angolan civil war - What is it good for? The latest and possibly most damning report to date by the United Nations Monitoring Mechanism of Sanctions against Unita has reported that it is business as usual in the diamond trading capitals of the world when it comes to the trade in conflict and illicit diamonds. The report states that sixteen companies based in Belgium, Israel and South Africa and traders from Cyprus, DRC, Tanzania and Zambia are still involved in the trade of conflict and illicit diamonds from Unita and Angola - worth an estimated $420 million dollars or five percent of the world's rough diamond trade. If the evidence that is presented to the United Nations is genuine then these companies must be publicly named, banned from the diamond industry for ever and prosecuted by the relevant authorities. (Global Witness, 18 Oct. 2001)
ANGOLA: Diamonds Worth $1 Million Smuggled Daily, U.N. Says - A U.N. panel monitoring Security Council sanctions against Angola's UNITA rebels yesterday issued a report claiming that $1 million worth of diamonds are smuggled out of the war-torn country every day, with the rebel group responsible for a quarter to a third of the total (Edith M. Lederer, Associated Press, Oct. 16). "It appears that the Antwerp and South African markets are two key points of sale or transit for embargoed diamonds, Israel being used as a laundering route for some imports," said the monitoring group, which is headed by Chilean Ambassador to the United Nations Juan Larrain (U.N. Newservice, Oct. 15). The Democratic Republic of the Congo and neighboring Republic of the Congo were also mentioned as "vitally important routes for smugglers."...The Security Council imposed a ban on rebel diamond exports in 1998 in an attempt to halt UNITA's proceeds from diamonds, which have fueled the country's 25-year civil war. (UN Wire, 16 Oct. 2001)
Jewelers of America Sends Members a Call to Action:...The Clean Diamond Trade Act has been introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate and is supported by members of both the Democrat and Republican parties. It will not only insure that diamonds entering the U.S. are conflict free but also play a critical role in the development of a system of international controls that will ban conflict diamonds from all the cutting centers. (Jewelers of America & Campaign to Eliminate Conflict Diamonds, 10 Sep. 2001)
Tony Hall: Conflict Diamonds Are A Serious Problem (7 Sep. 2001)
Botswana protests against UK diamond campaign: Botswana on Sunday struck out at the British government for supporting a campaign against conflict diamonds that threatened to damage the economy of the most stable southern African country. (James Lamont, Financial Times, 26 Aug. 2001)
Remarks of U.S. Rep. Tony P. Hall to the Second Annual Diamond Mining Conference [regarding conflict diamonds and proposed Clean Diamonds Act legislation] (U.S. Representative Tony Hall, 23 Aug. 2001)
Government Collects US $91,000 From Diamonds: As at the end of June 2000, Sierra Leone's Government Gold and Diamond Office collected some US $91,000 as revenue from fees paid by diamond exporters, according to a review of the country's new diamond certification scheme. (UN Integrated Regional Information Network, 22 Aug. 2001)
Mining ban snubbed in S Leone: Sierra Leonean rebels and pro-government militia are not complying with a mining ban imposed in the eastern diamond heartland of Kono, government and UN sources said on Saturday. (Christo Johnson, Reuters, in News24 [Cape Town], 29 July 2001)
Diamonds are forever in Sierra Leone's Wild East: With a ban on diamond mining in Sierra Leone, announced 18 July, hopes abound that there will now be an end to violence. But the diamond trade is deeply entrenched and some doubt that the ban will work. A Gemini News Service correspondent reports from Kenema - in the heart of Sierra Leone's 'blood diamond' mining region. (Rod Mac-Johnson, Gemini News Service, 20-27 July 2001)
A process to cut illicit trade of diamonds: Thirty-four countries approved a way to track gems. Rebels funding wars are targeted. (Vladimir Isachenkov, Associated Press, in Philadelphia Inquirer, 6 July 2001)
DIAMONDS: US Bans Imports From Liberia (UN Wire, 25 May 2001)
SAfrica-health-AIDS: S.Africa's AIDS activists turn to private sector as state dithers (Emsie Ferreira, Agence France-Presse, 13 May 2001)
Review of the Sierra Leone Diamond Certification System and Proposals and Recommendations for the Kimberley Process for a Fully Integrated Certification System (FICS) (Global Witness, 25 Apr. 2001)
Checks 'may not halt all illicit diamond exports' [Sierra Leone] (Andrew Parker, Financial Times, 25 Apr. 2001)
Belgium Accused Continuing Sale of Unita Diamonds (Panafrican News Agency, 24 Apr. 2001)
Diamonds of Death [regarding conflict diamonds and response by the industry and U.S. legislators] (Ken Silverstein, Nation, 23 Apr. 2001)
Integrative Study on Issues Relating to Corporate Responsibility and the Role of Economic Agendas in Civil Conflict (Human Security and the International Diamond Trade in Africa program, Apr. 2001)
2000:
Conflict Diamonds: [U.N.] General Assembly adopts resolution on "conflict diamonds" (United Nations, 1 Dec. 2000)
Statement by Ambassador Richard C. Holbrooke, United States Permanent Representative to the United Nations, on Conflict Diamonds, Security Council, November 30, 2000 (U.S. Mission to the United Nations, 30 Nov. 2000)
Major UN Role Needed to Curb Conflict Diamonds (Oxfam International, 17 Nov. 2000)
How Corporations Absolve Their Sins (Kelly Currah, Guardian, 28 Aug. 2000)
U.S. Initiatives on "Conflict Diamonds" (U.S. State Department, 28 July 2000)
Delight at ban on war diamonds - Special report: Sierra Leone (Andrew Osborn, Guardian [UK], 20 July 2000)
Conflict Diamonds: Possibilities for the Identification, Certification and Control of Diamonds (Global Witness, June 2000)
De Beers: Come Clean to Be Clean (Editorial, Mail & Guardian, Johannesburg, 24 Mar. 2000)
De Beers Tries to Ensure Gems Don't Finance Insurrection (Alan Cowell, New York Times, 1 Mar. 2000)
Spoils of War [Angola] (Holger Jensen, Nando Times, 15 Mar. 2000)
The Heart of the Matter: Sierra Leone, Diamonds & Human Security (Ian Smillie, Lansana Gberie and Ralph Hazleton, Partnership Africa Canada, Jan. 2000)
Oil and diamonds fuel war in Angola (Alex Vines, Human Rights Watch, in Human Rights & Business Matters, newsletter of Amnesty International UK Business Group, autumn 1999/winter 2000)
1999:
Angola Unravels: The Rise and Fall of the Lusaka Peace Process (Human Rights Watch, Sep. 1999)
1997:
Child Labour in the Diamond Industry (Universal Alliance of Diamond Workers [UADW] and International Confederation of Free Trade Unions [ICFTU], 1997)