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What are conflict diamonds?

Conflict diamonds are diamonds that fuel conflict, civil wars and human rights abuses. They have been responsible for funding recent conflicts in Africa, resulting in the death and displacement of millions of people. During these conflicts, profits from the illegal trade in diamonds, worth billions of dollars, were used by warlords and rebels to buy arms. An estimated 3.7 million people have died in Angola, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Liberia, and Sierra Leone in conflicts fuelled by diamonds.

To read the full report go here

How can you help?

As a consumer you can help ensure diamonds never again fund conflict. When shopping for diamond jewellery, you can ask the salesperson four questions to find out what they are doing to help prevent the trade in conflict diamonds.

• How can I be sure that none of your jewellery contains conflict diamonds?
• Do you know where the diamonds you sell come from?
• Can I see a copy of your company’s policy on conflict diamonds?
• Can you show me a written guarantee from your diamond suppliers stating that your diamonds are conflict free?

If you want your diamond conflict-free, ask to see their guarantee.

International efforts to stop the trade in conflict diamonds

The Kimberley Process Certification Scheme (KPCS) is an international certification scheme aimed at preventing the trade in conflict diamonds. Launched in January 2003, the scheme requires governments to implement import/export control regimes on rough diamonds to prevent diamonds from fuelling conflicts. Over 65 countries participate, including all those represented by the European Commission.

Participants agree to issue a certificate to accompany any rough diamonds being exported certifying that the diamonds are conflict-free. To be able to give this assurance, each country must be able to track the diamonds being exported back to the mine or the point of import. All importing countries agree not to accept any rough diamonds without an approved Kimberley Process Certificate. The KPCS was negotiated by governments, civil society organisations and the diamond trade, in response to civil society campaigning against the trade in conflict diamonds.

So is the Kimberley Process working - do conflict diamonds still exist?

Despite making significant progress, both governments and the diamond industry are still falling short in combating the trade in conflict diamonds. In many participating countries, government controls in the diamond trade from mining to polishing are still inadequate and poorly enforced due to the lack of effective monitoring, capacity and political will.

Some members of the diamond industry continue to evade the Kimberley Process controls, while others turn a blind eye. The problem of conflict diamonds hasn’t gone away:

• Diamonds from Cote d’Ivoire are being mined in rebel-held areas and are then smuggled through neighbouring countries to international markets
• Despite being subject to UN sanctions, Liberian diamonds are being smuggled into neighbouring countries and certified by the Kimberley Process.

What did the diamond industry agree to do?

To support the Kimberley Process, the international diamond industry agreed to a voluntary system of warranties to ensure diamonds continued to be tracked right up to point of sale. All invoices for the sale of diamonds and jewellery containing diamonds should now include a written guarantee that states they are conflict-free.

All sectors of the diamond industry made 3 commitments to support the Kimberley Process.

• Implement a code of conduct to prevent buying or selling conflict diamonds
• Implement a system of warranties requiring that all invoices for the sale of diamonds and jewellery containing diamonds must contain a written guarantee that diamonds are conflict free. They must also keep records of the warranty invoices given and received and have these audited and reconciled every year by their own auditors
• Inform company employees about the industry’s policies and government regulations to combat the trade in conflict diamonds.

The self-regulation is voluntary and was agreed to by many members of all sectors of the diamond industry to support the Kimberley Process. Whilst the Kimberley Process only covers rough diamonds, the system of industry self-regulation extends to polished diamonds. Retailers should make sure that their suppliers are fulfilling their commitments of self-regulation. This should mean that retailers are able to show that the diamonds they are selling have come from conflict-free sources.

Why should companies care about this, isn’t the problem in Africa, not in the shops?

To ensure they are conflict-free, diamonds must be able to be traced all the way from point of mine to point of sale. Unless the controls are in place all along the diamond chain, there can be no assurances that the diamonds are conflict-free. The system is only as strong as its weakest link.

If I want to buy a conflict-free diamond, which shops should I shop in?

In 2004, Amnesty International and Global Witness conducted a survey of UK diamond jewellers to see if they were implementing the self-regulation. Unfortunately we discovered that while some efforts had been made, many retailers were not doing enough.

For a summary of the results go here

The survey gives consumers important information about whether diamond companies can give assurances that diamonds are conflict free, and how transparent companies are being about these efforts. However we cannot provide a list of shops to avoid or support. Our aim is to encourage all customers shopping for a diamond to put pressure on retailers and make sure they can give assurances that the diamond they are buying is conflict-free.

If the jeweller answers all my questions and shows me a written guarantee, does this mean their diamonds are definitely conflict-free?

Until all participants of the Kimberley Process have a strong system of internal diamond controls, there will always be a chance that conflict diamonds can enter the legitimate diamond trade. At the moment, it is not possible to be 100% sure that the diamond you want to buy is conflict-free.

However, if you still want to buy a diamond, there are specific things you can ask your jeweller to find out if they are doing their best to ensure that the diamonds they sell are conflict-free. If the jeweller can satisfactorily answer your questions (see above for specific questions to ask), then you can feel reassured that your jeweller is being responsible and you are helping to make sure that the diamond industry keeps its promises to end the trade in conflict diamonds.

What should Governments be doing to stop the trade in conflict diamonds?

All participant countries in the Kimberley Process must have strong and effectively enforced internal systems of controls. Governments should audit all sectors of the diamond trade and take credible action against members of the diamond industry that are known to trade in conflict diamonds.

In addition, the United Nations Security Council, that placed sanctions on diamond exports from Cote d’Ivoire in December 2005, should work with the Kimberley Process to carry out an expert investigation to West Africa to identify the volume and value of diamonds mined in Cote d’Ivoire, where these diamonds are going, and where the money from this trade is going. Those in the industry that are engaged in conflict diamond trading should be identified and held to account.

For more information See previous reports by Global Witness here