Diamonds are Forever???

No, this is not a review of an old James Bond movie. And no, this is not another one of those innumerable promotion campaigns by jewellery shops urging you to buy gold or precious stones from just their shops tomorrow and make an ‘exclusive’ profit (sei kooli illai, setharam illai) on account of tomorrow being akshaya trithya (the annual gold shopping fest in India when even the most bearish of investors suddenly lose their heads and rush to buy their piece of pie er… gold. This is actually a first for me. This is an awareness blog!

So anyway, we were just discussing diamonds the other day during a free period (yeah yeah just another average gossip session) and I found that many of my friends were sadly uninformed about blood diamonds. This is despite, what I thought would be, a kind of reflected publicity offered by the movie ‘ayan’. I only wish the movie had used itself as a platform to spread more awareness about this curse of blood diamonds. It would be better still if we had a movie like ‘Blood Diamond’ in Indian Cinema, but I guess that would be too much to ask for. ‘Blood Diamond’ is the ideal mix of entertainment and awareness. This is the only perfect realization, that I have ever seen, of the utopian dream of cinema for a cause. No other movie has  made me think as much or made me more sentient of what we as human beings are capable of doing to each other. Anyway I spent an entire afternoon researching blood diamonds, the day after I saw the movie, and this is what I found. And people, if you haven’t yet watched the movie, please don’t miss it. It’s the kind of movie that will make you proud of the medium of cinema. And it’s the kind of movie you cant just walk away from and try to ignore. My friend actually swore off diamonds for the rest of her life. You don’t have to take such an extreme measure but do insist that the diamonds you buy (after the recession) come with a blood-free certificate.

 

What is a conflict diamond?

Conflict diamonds are 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. 
Also called blood diamonds, they are predominantly mined in war torn African countries by rebels to fund their conflict. Rough diamond caches have often been used by rebel forces to finance arms purchases and other illegal activities. Neighbouring and other countries can be used as trading and transit grounds for illicit diamonds. The rebels grossly abuse human rights, often murdering and enslaving the local populations to mine the diamonds.

Once diamonds are brought to market, their origin is difficult to trace and once polished, they can no longer be identified.

 Who needs to take action?

On 1 December 2000, the United Nations General Assembly adopted, unanimously, a resolution on the role of diamonds in fuelling conflict, breaking the link between the illicit transaction of rough diamonds and armed conflict, as a contribution to prevention and settlement of conflicts (A/RES/55/56). In taking up this agenda item, the General Assembly recognized that conflict diamonds are a crucial factor in prolonging brutal wars in parts of Africa, and underscored that legitimate diamonds contribute to prosperity and development elsewhere on the continent.

Governments, inter-governmental and non-governmental organizations, diamond traders, financial institutions, arms manufacturers, social and educational institutions and other civil society players need to combine their efforts, demand the strict enforcement of sanctions and encourage real peace. The horrific atrocities in Sierra Leone and the long suffering of the people of Angola have heightened the international community's awareness of the need to cut off sources of funding for the rebels in order to promote lasting peace in those countries; such an opportunity cannot be wasted.

 How can a conflict diamond be distinguished from a legitimate diamond?

A well-structured 'Certificate of Origin' regime can be an effective way of ensuring that only legitimate diamonds -- that is, those from government-controlled areas -- reach market. Additional controls by Member States and the diamond industry are needed to ensure that such a regime is effective. These measures might include the standardization of the certificate among diamond exporting countries, transparency, auditing and monitoring of the regime and new legislation against those who fail to comply.

Kimberley Process Certification Scheme

In May 2000, diamond producing countries of southern Africa met in Kimberley, South Africa to plan a method by which the trade in conflict diamonds could be halted, and buyers of diamonds could be assured that their diamonds have not contributed to violence.

On July 19, 2000, the World Diamond Congress adopted at Antwerp a resolution that called for an international certification system on the export and import of diamonds, legislation in all countries to accept only officially sealed packages of diamonds, for countries to impose criminal charges on anyone trafficking in conflict diamonds, and instituted a ban on any individual found trading in conflict diamonds from the diamond bourses of the World Federation of Diamond Bourses.

On January 17 - 18 of 2001, diamond industry figures convened and formed the new organization, the World Diamond Council. This new body set out to draft a new process, whereby all diamond rough could be certified as coming from a non-conflict source.

In November 2002, the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme (KPCS) was created.

Transparency

The Kimberley system increases governments' transparency by forcing them to keep records of the diamonds they are exporting and importing and how much they are worth. This shows the governments their finances so that they can be held accountable for how much they are spending for the benefit of the country's population.

This seventeen-year-old lost both hands to rebels’ machetes.Waterloo camp, Sierra Leone, 1998. UNICEF / HQ96-0566 / Pirozzi

Botswana used to be a poor farm country but today its government works hand in hand with the Diamond industry to give Botswana a living standard 7 times higher than its neighbors. While the wars in Angola and Sierra Leone are now over, and fighting in the DRC has decreased, the problem of conflict diamonds hasn't gone away. Diamonds mined in rebel-held areas in Côte d'Ivoire, a West African country in the midst of a volatile conflict, are reaching the international diamond market. Conflict diamonds from Liberia are also being smuggled into neighboring countries and exported as part of the legitimate diamond trade. Despite its pledge to support the Kimberley Process and Clean Diamond Trade Act, the Diamond Industry has fallen short of implementing the necessary policies for self-regulation. The retail sector in particular fails to provide sufficient assurance to consumers that the diamonds they sell are conflict-free. It is up to us find out how policies are being communicated at the shop level, and what actions, if any, are being taken to ensure that policies are more than just rhetoric. At the same time, we’ll be sending a strong message to your local jewelers that their role in diamond-fueled conflict must end.   Stop being in denial. This is happening now. 

Sources:www.wikipeia.org, www.amnestyusa.org,www.un.org/peace/africa/Diamond.html