Renewed calls for diamond boycott

Posted March 09, 2010 |

Jewellers have been reminded to continue avoiding conflict diamonds from Zimbabwe, despite a recent announcement.

Last week the Zimbabwean government announced it was taking steps to clean-up its diamond trade by ending human rights abuses in its diamond fields.

The government had reportedly invited Kimberley Process officials to monitor their diamond mining operations. Despite the claim, some industry experts are sceptical.

The Kimberley Process (KP) imposes extensive requirements to prevent conflict diamonds — diamonds used by rebel groups to finance wars — from entering legitimate trade.

While the news appears to be a promising sign, the World Diamond Council – a long-time campaigner against the Zimbabwean diamond trade – responded to the announcement by renewing calls for a continued boycott of Zimbabwean diamonds “until the Kimberley Process monitor is in place and is actively controlling exports from the area”.

The news has also been called into question by one of the founders of the KP.

Martin Rapaport, chairman of the Rapaport Group — which supports the development of free, fair, efficient, and competitive diamond markets – greeted the news with skepticism in an open letter to KP officials.

“Thus far, it seems the KP does not have the structural capacity or the political leverage to deal effectively with Zimbabwe,” he wrote.

Rapaport – who is no longer involved with the KP – pointed out that the Zimbabwean government was exploiting loopholes in KP regulations, which are powerless to stop corrupt governments from benefitting from conflict diamonds.

“The KP has been so manipulated by Zimbabwe that the organization failed to recognize its own peer review accounts of murder, rape, mass burials and other human rights abuses carried out by state personnel at the Marange fields.”

This is not the first time the Kimberley Process has been accused of being manipulated by Zimbabwe.

Last year the organization came under fire when it failed to suspend the country from diamond trading, instead giving them a June 2010 deadline to comply with regulations.

In a media statement released last week the Kimberley Process said: “The KP Monitor visit takes place in response to an invitation from the government of Zimbabwe.”

“Zimbabwean government has committed to ensure full and unhindered access to all relevant diamond production and processing sites.”

Chairman of the Kimberley Process, Boaz Hirsch, called the move “an important step in the right direction”.

The World Diamond Council advised anyone trading in diamonds to use the System of Warranties to ensure they are buying ethically mined diamonds.

“This system was designed to provide assurances through the entire supply chain down to the consumer that they do not purchase diamonds that have been traded in violation of any KP requirements.”

More information about the system of warranties can be found on the World Diamond Council website.

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