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What are conflict diamonds?
"...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." (http://www.diamondfacts.org/conflict/index.html)
This crisis came to the world's attention in the 1990’s while the Sierra Leone civil war was heating up and the rebels, Revolutionary United Front (RUF), gained control of the diamond mines. The Liberian president was accused of providing the RUF with supplies and weapons in exchange for diamonds, which ultimately led to his resignation in August 2003.
How do I avoid purchasing conflict diamonds?
- Desirable Gems requires its vendors to comply with the Kimberly Process and to provide a System of Warranty on all invoices which states:
"The diamonds herein invoiced have been purchased from legitimate sources not involved in funding conflict and in compliance with United Nations Resolutions. The undersigned hereby guarantees that these diamonds are conflict free, based on personal knowledge and/or written guarantees provided by the supplier of these diamonds." - To ensure that these statements are correct, the process is monitored from the time a rough diamond is mined until it is sold
- Failure to abide by these regulations results in expulsion from diamond industry institutions
What is being done to combat these immoral acts?
A United Nation mandated organization called the Kimberly Process was formed in 2003 to prevent conflict diamonds from entering the legitimate diamond market. Over 99% of all diamonds produced globally pass through one of the 71 countries who participate in this process. It requires that participating governments comply with the following procedures:
- Each rough diamond shipment is to be shipped in a tamper resistant container
- All shipments must include a forgery resistant certificate stating that the diamond source is conflict free, an exclusive number, and describe the contents of the box
- Any non-certified shipments are not allowed to be imported or exported from non-compliant countries
- Shipments not following these procedures are subject to confiscation and criminal sanctions
- If a country is found to be non-compliant with the Kimberley Process, they are investigated and dealt with at an intergovernmental level
Please visit the following websites for more information on the Kimberly Process and Conflict Diamonds. http://www.diamondfacts.org/conflict/index.html
http://www.un.org/peace/africa/Diamond.html
