Five months after the release, in March 2009, of Partnership Africa Canada’s report on the horrors behind Zimbabwe’s diamond trade, Zimbabwe, Diamonds and the Wrong Side of History, Partnership Africa Canada (PAC) welcomes the recommendation from the Kimberley Process (KP) Zimbabwe Review Mission team to suspend Zimbabwe from the KP, the world diamond regulatory body. [...]
2008 Global Diamond Production Down 3% From 2007; Value Up by Nearly 7%; Kimberley Process Certification Levels Down by About a Quarter
Despite the turbulent effects on the global diamond industry due to the global financial crisis, global diamond production figures are only slightly down (just 3%) for the year 2008 compared to 2007. Despite this slight drop in production levels, the value of the production increased by 6.7%, with the average per carat value increasing by [...]
HRW: Forced Labor and Torture in Zimbabwean Diamond Fields
Zimbabwe’s armed forces are engaging in the forced labor of children and adults, and are torturing and beating local villagers on the diamond fields of Marange district in eastern Zimbabwe, Human Rights Watch have said in a report. The military, which remains under the control of the Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF), the former [...]
DMCC Seeks to Strengthen Diamond Ties with Angola
The Dubai Multi Commodities Centre (DMCC) has begun exploring opportunities to strengthen ties with Angola in the area of diamond trade. Dubai’s delegation comprising Ahmed Bin Sulayem, Executive Chairman of DMCC, Peter Meeus, Chairman of Dubai Diamond Exchange and Paul Motmans, an expert on the Angolan economy, met with senior government officials of Angola at [...]
Liberian Diamond Exports Near $2 Million in Jan-Apr 2009 Period
The Government of Liberia authorized the export of over 2,500 carats of rough diamonds valued at almost $2 million between 1 January and 30 April 2009, earning the Government over $59,000 in royalties, according to the midterm report of the Panel of Experts on Liberia. Exports are down significantly from 2008 although the average value [...]
Expert Panel Urges Extension of UN Mission in Liberia
The group of experts monitoring United Nations sanctions on Liberia has called for the extension of the world body’s peacekeeping mission in the West African country to assist the Government in regaining control of its natural resources. The mid-term report of the Panel of Experts on Liberia recommended that the UN Mission, known as UNMIL, [...]
Andy Bone: “Kimberley Process Must be Far More Vocal and Proactive”
Andy Bone, has told the Kimberley Process intersessional meeting in Namibia that the Kimberley Process must be far more vocal and proactive in engaging with the arms of government, drawing attention to the issues that affect us all and calling for effective action and support that will assist it in achieving its objectives. His entire [...]
Kimberley Process Opens Second Office at Dubai’s Almas Tower
The Kimberley Process Certification Scheme (KPCS) for the ethical trade of rough diamonds has expanded its United Arab Emirates operations with the opening of a second office at Almas Tower, located in the Jumeirah Lakes Towers community in Dubai. Currently operating within the Dubai Airport Free zone alongside the Transguard offices, the second KP office [...]
Civil Society Groups Warn Effectiveness of Kimberley Process Compromised
A landmark scheme established in 2003 to prevent trade in conflict diamonds is potentially failing in its objectives, campaigners have said. Ahead of a key meeting of the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme (KPCS) in Namibia, a coalition of civil society groups said that despite having all the tools in place, the scheme was failing effectively [...]
Ian Smillie Leaves PAC
Ian Smillie, Research Coordinator with Partnership Africa Canada, has decided to leave his position at the end of July, 2009. Ian has worked on the conflict diamonds issue with PAC since 1998 and has represented PAC in the Kimberley Process from the beginning. He was one of the architects of the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme, [...]
U.S. State Dept Warns Over Counterfeit Guinea KP Certificates
In recent weeks, two attempts have been made to present Kimberley Process Certificates allegedly from the Republic of Guinea for purposes of importation into the United States, warns Brad Brooks-Rubin, the United States Department of State’s Special Advisor for Conflict Diamonds. Following effective due diligence, a U .S. customs brokerage notified the Department of [...]