Global Witness - Breaking the links between natural resources, conflict and corruption
Blood Diamonds: New call on diamond industry to clean up diamond trade
Press Release – 22/01/2007
Amnesty International UK & Global Witness
PRESS RELEASE
STRICTLY EMBARGOED: MONDAY 22 JANUARY, 00:01 HRS GMT
BLOOD DIAMONDS: NEW CALL ON DIAMOND INDUSTRY TO CLEAN UP DIAMOND TRADE
Call made as blockbuster film Blood Diamond premieres in UK
[New website launched; photos available; experts available for interview]
Human rights organisations Amnesty International and Global Witness have today (22 January) called on the diamond industry to make good on its promises to clean up the international diamond trade and ensure that consumers can be sure the gems they buy are not blood diamonds.
The call comes as the film Blood Diamond opens in cinemas all over the UK later this week (1). Amnesty International and Global Witness have launched a new website www.blooddiamondaction.org with information consumers can use to try and ensure any diamond jewellery they buy is conflict-free.
Blood diamonds are gems that have been used by rebel groups to fund armed conflict and civil war. The new blockbuster draws attention to the devastating impact the trade in blood diamonds has had in countries such as Sierra Leone, Angola, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where billions of dollars of profits from the sale of diamonds have been used to fuel brutal wars. Diamonds mined in the rebel-held North of Côte d'Ivoire, in West Africa, are currently reaching the international diamond market and there are credible reports of massive diamond smuggling from Zimbabwe into South Africa and Belgium in violation of the Kimberley Process.
Alex Yearsley of Global Witness said:
"Despite the tragedies that blood diamonds have caused, neither governments nor the diamond industry is doing enough to stop them. Consumers have the power to effect industry-wide changes simply by demanding that their diamonds are clean."
Amnesty International and Global Witness recommend that consumers ask jewellery retailers the following questions when purchasing diamonds:
* Do you know where your diamonds 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 that states your diamonds are conflict-free?
* How can I be sure that none of your jewellery contains conflict diamonds?
To ensure that the diamond industry is living up to the necessary standards, Amnesty International and Global Witness are updating their 2004 survey of the top diamond jewellery retailers in the US and the UK, which pointed to the industry's failure to adequately implement a system of self-regulation. The new survey will include the top 50 diamond retailers in the UK to ensure that the industry has addressed the gaps uncovered in their 2004 survey. Global Witness and Amnesty International are calling on the industry to strengthen its system of self-regulation and put in place an independent verification system by Valentine's Day 2007.
Amnesty International UK Diamonds Campaigner Nick Dearden said:
"Outrage across the world led to the first attempts to try and clean up this trade. People buying gifts for their loved ones do not want them associated with the suffering of others. It will be consumer demand again that forces the industry to clean up."
Amnesty International and Global Witness will host a special pre-screening of Blood Diamond in a London cinema on Monday 22 January. More information is available on the numbers below.
ENDS
Media information:
Amnesty International: Sarah Green, 020 7033 1549; 07721 398 984
Global Witness: Annie Dunnebacke, 0207 561 6397; 07703 108 401
Notes to editor:
1. Blood Diamond is set against the background of the Sierra Leone civil war in the 1990s. It stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Djimon Hounsou and Jennifer Connelly, and is directed by Edward Zwick. It premieres in the UK on Tuesday 23 January and opens for general release on Friday 26 January.
Latest Publications
March 2010
New evidence confirms oil revenue transparency still eludes Sudan
Large discrepancies persist between the oil production data published by the government of Sudan and those published by the main Chinese oil company operating in the country, Global Witness said today, six months after the publication of its report which first exposed the gaps.
Environmental groups call on French shipping company Delmas to cancel shipment of precious wood from Madagascar
Global Witness and the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) today called on French shipping company Delmas to cancel a shipment to China of hundreds of tons of rosewood from the port of Vohémar, in northeastern Madagascar. The campaign groups accuse the company of facilitating the destruction of Madagascar’s last remaining forests caused by vast illegal logging of rosewood.
Open letter to Delmas shipping company raises concerns over rosewood shipments from Madagascar
An open letter from Global Witness and the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) to Delmas shipping company expressing grave concerns at its involvement in the transport of timber from Madagascar which has been declared illicit by the Malagasy authorities. The groups accuse Delmas of facilitaitng the destruction Madagascar's remaining rosewood forests through illegal logging.
Link between Angolan president's son-in-law and state oil company raises questions about transparency
The son-in-law of the Angolan president has been nominated to the board of a holding company that owns a third of the Portuguese oil firm Galp Energia, which has investments in Angola. The nomination was made by the State oil company, Sonangol, which is responsible for managing Angola's oil on behalf of its citizens. This arrangement raises concerns about conflicts of interest to which Sonangol has not responded.
DR Congo: ex-rebels take over mineral trade extortion racket
Former rebels from the Congrès national pour la défense du peuple (CNDP) have established mafia-style extortion rackets covering some of the most lucrative tin and tantalum mining areas in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Global Witness reported today following four weeks of research in the region.
Global Witness concerned at choice of new Ukraine energy minister
Global Witness is concerned that Yuri Boyko, a controversial figure from the murky past of Ukraine’s gas industry, has been put back in effective charge of a key gas supply route from Russia to the European Union.
Landmark oil and mining transparency initiative faces credibility test as key deadline passes
The Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI), a pioneering initiative to bring more openness to the world's oil and mining industries, faces a major credibility test after 20 out of 22 countries failed to meet a key deadline today.
Global Witness urges Cambodia’s donors to condemn sponsorship of military units by private businesses
Aid donors to Cambodia, including the US, EU, Japan, China and the World Bank, should send a strong message to the government that they will not countenance the bankrolling of Cambodia’s military by private businesses. This call follows the announcement last week by Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen of the formation of 42 official partnerships between private businesses and Cambodian military units.
February 2010
A near miss? Lessons learnt from the allocation of mining licences in the Gola Forest Reserve in Sierra Leone
Between 2005 and 2007, two mining licences were issued in the Gola Forest Reserve in Sierra Leone, even though the area was a proposed national park. This new report identifies weaknesses in Sierra Leone's natural resource governance and attempts to draw lessons for the future.
Parliamentary committee report on libel, privacy and press freedom not strong enough to defend public interest reporting
A report on press standards, privacy and libel makes broadly sensible recommendations but does not go far enough to allay fears that England's laws are a barrier to public-interest campaigning.
Campaigners criticise proposals to define palm oil plantations as forests
The Ecosystems Climate Alliance today criticised the EU and Indonesia for attempting to reclassify palm oil plantations as forests, saying this would be a step backwards in efforts to halt climate change though preventing deforestation.
28 countries accused of facilitating money laundering … but key offenders missing
An international financial crime watchdog has named and shamed countries that are failing to stop dirty money entering the financial system, a move welcomed by Global Witness. However, conspicuously absent are major financial centres and secrecy jurisdictions, many of which also have serious weaknesses in their anti-money laundering regulations.
