Panning for diamonds in Sierra Leone. Sierra Leone, officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country in West Africa.

In relation to diamond trading, blood diamond (also called a converted diamond, conflict diamond, hot diamond or a war diamond) refers to a diamond mined in a war zone and sold, in order to finance an insurgency, invading army's war efforts, or supporting a warlord's activity, usually in Africa. In Mineralogy, diamond is the allotrope of carbon where the carbon atoms are arranged in War is an international relations Dispute, characterized by organized Violence between National Military units ^[1]

History

Main articles: Angolan Civil War#Diamonds and 2000s in Angola#2007

In 1998, the United Nations (UN) placed Angola under sanctions forbidding countries from buying diamonds from them. The Angolan Civil War began in Angola after the end of the war for independence from Portugal in 1975 The 2000s in Angola saw the end of a 27-year-long civil war (1975-2002 and economic growth as foreign nation's began to invest in Angola's untapped Petroleum reserves The United Nations ( UN) is an International organization whose stated aims are to facilitate cooperation in International law, International security Angola, officially the Republic of Angola (República de Angola Pronounced ʁɛˈpublikɐ dɨ ɐ̃ˈgɔlɐ Repubilika ya Ngola is a country in south-central ^[2] This was the first resolution of the UN which specifically mentioned diamonds in the context of funding the war. Reports estimated that as much as 20% of total production in the 1990s were being sold for illegal purposes, and 15% were specifically conflict in nature. ^[3] By 1999, the illegal diamond trade was estimated by the World Diamond Council to have been reduced to 3. The World Diamond Council (also known during its prototype period as the International Diamond Council) is an organization consisting of representatives from Diamond 06% of the world's diamond production. ^[4][5] The World Diamond Council reported that by 2004 this percentage had fallen to approximately 1%. The World Diamond Council (also known during its prototype period as the International Diamond Council) is an organization consisting of representatives from Diamond ^[5][3]

Angola, formerly a colony of Portugal, gained independence on November 11, 1975. The Portuguese Empire was the earliest and longest lived of the modern European colonial empires spanning almost six centuries from the capture of Ceuta The Angolan War of Independence (1961&ndash1974 Civil disobedience (1948-1959 See also 1950s in Angola The Portuguese Colonial Act passed on June Events 308 - The Congress of Carnuntum: Attempting to keep peace within the Roman Empire, the leaders of the Tetrarchy declare Year 1975 ( MCMLXXV) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Although independent, the Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola (PMLA), the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (NUTIA), and the National Liberation Front of Angola (NLFA) fought in civil war from 1975 to 2002. The Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola - Party of Labour (Movimento Popular de Libertação de Angola - Partido do Trabalho is an Angolan political party The National Union for the Total Independence of Angola ( União Nacional para a Independência Total de Angola) is the second-largest Political party in Angola. The National Front for the Liberation of Angola (Frente Nacional de Libertação de Angola is a militant organization that fought for Angolan independence from Portugal The Angolan Civil War began in Angola after the end of the war for independence from Portugal in 1975 NUTIA sold diamonds abroad in violation of the Bicesse Accords of 1994 to finance its war with the government. The Bicesse Accords, also known as the Estoril Accords, laid out a transition to multi-party Democracy in Angola under the supervision of the United ^[6] The UN recognized the role that diamonds played in funding the NUTIA rebels, and in 1998 banned countries from buying diamonds from Angola. Year 1998 ( MCMXCVIII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1998 Gregorian calendar) ^[2][6]

Liberia

From 1989 to 2003 Liberia was engaged in a civil war. Liberia, officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country on the west coast of Africa, bordered by Sierra Leone, Guinea, Côte d'Ivoire A civil war is a War between a State and domestic political actors that are in control of some part of the territory claimed by the state In 2000, the UN accused Liberian president Charles G. Taylor of supporting the RUF insurgency in Sierra Leone with weapons and training in exchange for diamonds. Charles McArthur Ghankay Taylor (born January 28, 1948) served as President of Liberia from August 2, 1997 to August 11 In 2001 the UN applied sanctions on the Liberian diamond trade. In August 2003 Taylor stepped down as president, and after being exiled to Nigeria, now faces trial in The Hague. Nigeria, officially named the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal Constitutional republic comprising thirty-six states and one Federal On July 21, 2006 he pleaded not guilty of crimes against humanity and war crimes. Events 356 BC - Herostratus sets fire to the Temple of Artemis in Ephesus, one of the Seven Wonders of the World Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. In Public international law, a crime against humanity is an act of Persecution or any large scale atrocities against a body of people and is the highest level of War crimes are "violations of the laws or customs of war" including but not limited to "murder the ill-treatment or deportation of civilian residents of an occupied ^[6]

Around the time of the 1998 United States embassy bombings, al-Qaeda allegedly bought gems from Liberia as some of its other financial assets were frozen. In the 1998 US Embassy bombings ( August 7, 1998) hundreds of people were killed in simultaneous Car bomb explosions at the United States Al-Qaeda, alternatively spelled al-Qaida, al-Qa`ida or al-Qa`idah, ( Arabic:; ar-Latn ''al-qāʿidah'' Translation: The ^[7]

Liberia today is at peace and is attempting to construct a legitimate diamond mining industry, and the UN has lifted sanctions and Liberia is now a member of the Kimberley process. ^[8]

Côte d'Ivoire

Côte d'Ivoire began to develop a fledgling diamond mining industry in the 1990s. Côte d'Ivoire (ˌkoʊt divˈwɑː(r ' in English, kot diˈvwaʀ in French) or Ivory Coast, officially the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire, is a A coup overthrew the government in 1999, starting a civil war. The country became a route for exporting diamonds from Liberia and war torn Sierra Leone. ^[6][9] Foreign investment began to withdraw from the Ivory Coast. To curtail the illegal trade, the nation stopped all diamond mining, and the UN Security Council banned all exports of diamonds from Côte d'Ivoire in December 2005. ^[6]

The Democratic Republic of the Congo

The Democratic Republic of the Congo (formerly Zaire) has suffered numerous civil wars in the 1990s, but has become a member of the Kimberley Process and now exports about 8% of the world's diamonds. The Democratic Republic of the Congo (République démocratique du Congo often referred to as DR Congo, DRC or RDC, and formerly known or referred to The Republic of Zaire (pronunciation; République du Zaïre was the name of the present Democratic Republic of the Congo between October 27, 1971 ^[6] One of De Beers' most celebrated and priceless diamonds, the flawless D-colour 200-carat Millennium Star was discovered in the DRC and sold to De Beers during the height of the Civil War that took place in the early to mid-nineties. De Beers and the various companies within the De Beers Family of Companies engage in exploration for diamonds, diamond mining diamond trading and industrial diamond manufacture The Millennium Star is a famous diamond owned by De Beers. At 203 De Beers and the various companies within the De Beers Family of Companies engage in exploration for diamonds, diamond mining diamond trading and industrial diamond manufacture

The Republic of Congo

The Republic of Congo (Congo-Brazzaville) faced UN sanctions in 2004 because despite having no official diamond mining industry, the country was exporting large quantities of diamonds, the origin of which it could not detail. The Republic of the Congo (République du Congo Kongo: Repubilika ya Kongo; Lingala: Republiki ya Kongó) also known as Congo-Brazzaville In Economics, an export is any good or Commodity, Transported from one country to another country in a Legitimate fashion ^[6]

Kimberley Process Certification Scheme

Main article: Kimberley Process Certification Scheme

Although the United Nations first identified the conflict diamond issue in 1998 as a source of funding for war,^[2] it was the diamond industry that took steps to address the conflict diamond issue by convening a meeting to plan a process by which diamond origin could be certified. The Kimberley Process Certification Scheme, popularly known as KPCS is a process designed to certify the origin of Rough diamonds from sources which are free of conflict 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. Kimberley is a town in South Africa, and the capital of the Northern Cape. The Republic of South Africa (also known by other official names) is a country located at the southern tip of the continent of Africa ^[10][11]

On July 19, 2000, the World Diamond Congress adopted at Antwerp a resolution to strengthen the diamond industry's ability to block sales of conflict diamonds. Events 711 - Muslim forces under Tariq ibn Ziyad defeat the Visigoths led by their king Roderic. 2000 ( MM) was a Leap year that started on Saturday of the Common Era, in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. World Diamond Congress is made up of representation from the World Federation of Diamond Bourses and the International Diamond Manufacturers Association. ||-||-||-||} Antwerp ( Dutch:, French: Anvers) is a City and Municipality in Belgium and the capital of the ^[12][13] The resolution 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. World Federation of Diamond Bourses, founded in 1947 was created to unite and to provide bourses trading in rough and polished Diamonds and Precious stones ^[13]

On January 17 - 18 of 2001, diamond industry figures convened and formed the new organization, the World Diamond Council. The World Diamond Council (also known during its prototype period as the International Diamond Council) is an organization consisting of representatives from Diamond This new body set out to draft a new process, whereby all diamond rough could be certified as coming from a non-conflict source. ^[14]

The KPCS was given approval by the UN on March 13, 2002,^[15] and in November, after two years of negotiation between governments, diamond producers, and Non-Government organizations, the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme (KPCS) was created. Events 1138 - Cardinal Gregorio Conti is elected Antipope as Victor IV, succeeding Anacletus II. See also 2002 (disambiguation Year 2002 ( MMII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar.

Monitoring the Kimberley Process

The biggest weakness of the Kimberley Process is how it is monitored. The Kimberley Process Certification Scheme, popularly known as KPCS is a process designed to certify the origin of Rough diamonds from sources which are free of conflict Any country can become a member of the Kimberley Process just by sending a letter to the organization's president, currently, the European Commission. The European Commission (formally the Commission of the European Communities) is the executive branch of the European Union. Whether or not the country meets the standards of the Kimberley Process, it can still become a member. ^[16] This means that many conflict diamonds are still getting past the Kimberly Certification Scheme because some countries don't meet the requirements of the Kimberley Process. However, as of 2007, it is estimated that its share in total trade of rough diamond has come down to only USD 10. 2 million.

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. In Economics, a market is transparent if much is Known by many about What products services or Capital assets are available This shows the governments their finances so that they can be held accountable for how much they are spending for the benefit of the countries population. ^[16]

U. S. policy

On January 18, 2001, former president Bill Clinton issued Executive Order 13194 which prohibited the importation of rough diamonds from Sierra Leone into the United States in accordance with the UN resolutions. Events 350 - Generallus Magnentius deposes Roman Emperor Constans and proclaims himself Emperor Year 2001 ( MMI) was a Common year starting on Monday according to the Gregorian calendar. William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton (born William Jefferson Blythe III, August 19 1946 served as the forty-second President of the United States ^[17] President Bush on May 22, 2001 issued Executive Order 13213 which banned rough diamond importation from Liberia into the United States. Events 334 BC - The Greek army of Alexander the Great defeats Darius III of Persia in the Battle of the Granicus. Year 2001 ( MMI) was a Common year starting on Monday according to the Gregorian calendar. Liberia had been recognized by the United Nations as acting as a pipeline for conflict diamonds from Sierra Leone. ^[18]

United States enacted the Clean Diamond Trade Act (CDTA) on April 25, 2003,^[19] and implemented on July 29, 2003 by Executive Order 13312. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Clean Diamond Trade Act, established in 2003 is a United States law designed to stop the trade of Diamonds that fund violent civil conflicts in many African Events 1607 - Eighty Years' War: The Dutch fleet destroys the anchored Spanish fleet at Gibraltar. Year 2003 ( MMIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 1014 - Byzantine-Bulgarian Wars: Battle of Kleidion: Byzantine emperor Basil II inflicts a decisive defeat Year 2003 ( MMIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ^[20][21] The CDTA installed the legislation to implement the KPCS in law in the United States. The implementation of this legislation was key to the success of the KPCS, as the United States is the largest consumer of diamonds. The CDTA states: 'As the consumer of a majority of the world’s supply of diamonds, the United States has an obligation to help sever the link between diamonds and conflict and press for implementation of an effective solution. ^[19]

Canadian policy

During the 1990s diamond rich areas were discovered in Northern Canada. Canada is one of the key players in the diamond industry. Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page Canada has been involved in many activities that have been helping to mitigate the poverty and suffering in Africa even before diamonds were discovered in Canada. Partnership Africa Canada was created in 1986 to help with the crisis in Africa. This organization is also part of the Diamond Development Initiative. The Diamond Development Initiative helps improve and regulate the legal diamond industry.

The Kimberley Process was initiated in May of 2000 by South Africa. The Kimberley Process Certification Scheme, popularly known as KPCS is a process designed to certify the origin of Rough diamonds from sources which are free of conflict The Republic of South Africa (also known by other official names) is a country located at the southern tip of the continent of Africa Canada was a major supporter of passing this. Canada has passed several laws that help stop the trade of conflict diamonds. The laws deal with the export and import of rough diamonds, and also how they are transferred. In December of 2002 the Export and Import of Rough Diamonds Act was passed by the Canadian government. This act acts as a system that helps control the importing, exporting and transporting of rough diamonds through Canada. The Export and Import of Rough Diamonds also states that the Kimberley Process is the minimum requirement of certifying rough diamonds and a certificate is also required for all shipments of diamonds. This certificate is called the Canadian Certificate, it gives permission for an officer to seize any shipment of diamonds that don't meet the requirements of the Export and Import of Rough Diamonds Act. ^[22]

One major US Wholesaler and manufacturer who is now engaged in selling Canadian diamonds is Tri-Star Worldwide, LLC. located in New York City. Under the brand name "CANADIA", Tri-Star offers 100% conflict free diamonds sourced directly from Canadian diamond producers (miners) such as BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto. Tri-Star is a member of the Canadian Diamond Code of Conduct and offers only Canadian diamonds to its retail clients.

BHP Billiton, owners of the Ekati diamond mine, (Canada's first diamond mine) located in the Northwest Territories of Canada, has a unique program called CANADAMARK whereby they take diamonds mined from the Ekati mine in Canada, track them from the moment they leave the earth, through the manufacturing process, to the retailer. The diamonds are laser inscribed and information on each diamond is kept in a database so that every CANADAMARK certified diamond can be tracked back to the mine of origin. CANADAMARK diamonds are purchased by other wholesalers, such as Tri-star and others.

The Government of the Northwest Territories of Canada (GNWT) also has a unique certification program. They offer a Government certificate on all diamonds that are mined, cut, and polished, in the Northwest Territories of Canada. Each diamond is also laser inscribed and recorded in a database. To obtain this certificate one must cut and polish the diamond in the GNWT.

Conflict-free diamonds

A conflict-free diamond is a diamond whose profits aren't used to fund wars and which is produced and mined under ethical conditions. Conflict-free diamonds are Diamonds of certified origin which are guaranteed not to be obtained through the use of violence Human rights abuses, Child labor Only diamonds that are certified and can be traced from the mine to the consumer are conflict-free diamonds. Conflict diamonds are still being sold today into the international diamond market as clean diamonds. ^[23]

Conflict-neutral diamonds

A recent development in the world of conflict diamonds is the introduction of the conflict neutral concept. Conflict Neutral refers to the act of making a donation This is where a donation by a consumer or retailer is made to a relevant charity upon sale or purchase of a diamond. An organization named Conflict Neutral has begun registering donations with associated transactions and issuing certifications. Of the donations through this scheme, two thirds are equally divided between Global Witness, Amnesty International, and the Red Cross, and the remainder is divided amongst other charities. Global Witness is an international NGO established in 1993 that works to break the links between natural resource exploitation conflict Poverty, corruption Amnesty International (commonly known as Amnesty or AI) is a Western based international Non-governmental organization which defines its mission as "to The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is an International humanitarian movement with approximately 97 million volunteers worldwide who stated The idea is gaining support from the public and diamond industry alike.

See also

• Diamonds as an investment

References

Notes

Literature

• Bell, Udy. A kibibyte (a contraction of ki lo bi nary byte) is a unit of Information or Computer storage, established by the International Sierra Leone: Building on a Hard-Won Peace. 2000, UN Chronicle Online Edition, Issue 4 (Accessed May 31, 2007 here)
• Bergner, Daniel (2003). Events 1279 BC - Rameses II (The Great (19th dynasty becomes pharaoh of Ancient Egypt. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. In the land of magic soldiers: a story of white and Black in West Africa. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux. ISBN 0-374-26653-0.  
• Campbell, Greg (2002). Blood diamonds: tracing the deadly path of the world's most precious stones. Boulder, Colo: Westview Press. ISBN 0-8133-3939-1.  
• Cilliers, Jakkie and Christian Dietrich (eds. ), Angola’s War Economy (Pretoria, South Africa: Institute for Security Studies, 2000). Available online at: http://www.iss.co.za/Pubs/BOOKS/ANGOLA.HTML
• Epstein, Edward Jay (1982). The rise and fall of diamonds: the shattering of a brilliant illusion. New York: Simon and Schuster. ISBN 0-671-41289-2.  
• Billon, Philippe Le (2005). Fuelling War: Natural Resources and Armed Conflicts. London: Routledge. ISBN 0-415-37970-9.  
• Levy, Arthur V. (2003). Diamonds and conflict: problems and solutions. New York: Hauppauge. ISBN 1-59033-715-8.  
• Le Billon, Philippe, Fatal Transactions: conflict diamonds and the (anti)terrorist consumer, Antipode, 2006, 38(4): 778-801.
• Reno, William (1995). Corruption and state politics in Sierra Leone. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-47179-6.  
• Tamm, Ingrid J. (2002). Diamonds In Peace and War: Severing the Conflict Diamond Connection. Cambridge, Mass: World peace foundation. ISBN 0-9721033-5-X.  [1]PDF (673 KiB)
• Zoellner, Tom. A kibibyte (a contraction of ki lo bi nary byte) is a unit of Information or Computer storage, established by the International The Heartless Stone: A Journey Through the World of Diamonds, Deceit and Desire. New York: St. Martin's Press. ISBN 0-312-33969-0.  

External links

• African Diamond Council
• United Nations - Conflict diamonds
• Diamonds in Conflict - Global Policy Forum
• PAWSS Conflict Topics - Conflict Diamonds
• DiamondFacts.org - World Diamond Council
• RealDiamondFacts.org - Non-profit website
• Stop Blood Diamonds - Blood diamonds awareness initiative
• Bloody Nonsense: When diamonds are a propagandist's best friend by Jack Jolis, National Review, November 20, 2006. Subscription required.
• Kubus & BangBang's Conflict Diamonds musicvideo raising awareness about blooddiamonds.
• Stopping Blood Diamonds - The success of the Kimberly Process
• News articles about conflict diamonds in the Israeli diamond industry official portal
• Diamond trade's effect on the African countries