Submitted by: Submitted by loveangelm3
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Pages: 3
Category: Business and Industry
Date Submitted: 12/02/2011 12:08 PM
What are ‘conflict diamonds’?
‘Conflict diamonds’ is the term used to describe diamonds which are illegally traded to fund
conflicts. In recent times, conflicts in some of the poorest parts of Africa have often focused on
rebels controlling their country’s natural resources and assets; for example, oil, wood, minerals
and also diamonds. The United Nations (UN) defines conflict diamonds as ‘…diamonds that
originate from areas controlled by forces or factions opposed to legitimate and internationally
recognized governments, and are used to fund military action in opposition to those
governments, or in contravention of the decisions of the Security Council’. Conflict diamonds
came to the attention of the world media during the extremely brutal conflict in Sierra Leone in
the 1990s. While Sierra Leone is now at peace, currently, the Ivory Coast remains under UN
Security Council sanctions prohibiting the import and export of diamonds.
How many diamonds are conflict diamonds?
Currently, less than 1% of the world’s diamonds are conflict diamonds. In the late 1990s,
conflict diamonds represented a very small percentage of the world’s diamond production
(approximately 4%).
How does the diamond industry ensure conflict diamonds are not in the pipeline?
The brutal conflict in Sierra Leone in the 1990s brought conflict diamonds to the world’s
attention. The UN, governments, the diamond industry and NGOs (such as Global Witness,
Amnesty International and Partnership Africa Canada), recognised the need for a global
system to prevent conflict diamonds from entering the legitimate diamond supply chain and
thus helping to fund conflict.
A simple process called the Kimberley Process was agreed in which rough diamonds are
sealed in tamper-resistant containers and have a forgery resistant conflict free certificate with
unique serial numbers each time they cross an international border. This process ring-fences...