Global Witness
Major United States (US) and international retailers selling diamond jewellery are falling short on their promises to combat the trade in conflict diamonds, according to a new report by Global Witness released today at a World Diamond Council Annual Meeting in Dubai.(1)
Press Release, 15 November 2005 Kimberley Process[i] Falls Short in Combating Conflict Diamonds Weak government controls are failing to stop diamonds from fuelling conflict, according to a new report by Global Witness.[ii] The report, ‘Making it Work: Why the Kimberley Process Must Do More to Stop Conflict Diamonds’,[iii] targets the annual meeting of the Kimberley Process Plenary starting today in Moscow.[iv] The report shows how:
Press Release 4th June, 2004 Survey launched to question diamond industry on conflict diamond pledge Global Witness announced today the launch of a global survey to pressure diamond jewellery retailers to deliver on their promises to combat the trade in conflict diamonds at the JCK jewellery show in Las Vegas. (1)
The diamond industry is failing to deliver on its promises to keep conflict diamonds out of the legitimate trade and appears more worried about heading off bad publicity from the upcoming Leonardo DiCaprio film, The Blood Diamond, than meeting its pledges to the international community, the campaigning group Global Witness said today.
In the lead up to a major diamond industry meeting next week, Global Witness is calling on key organizations within the diamond sector to live up to promises made to eradicate the trade in conflict diamonds. The conflict diamond issue will be taken up at the World Federation of Diamond Bourses (WFDB) and the International Diamond Manufacturers Association (IDMA) biennial President’s Meeting to be held in Sun City, South Africa, from 29 June 2003 to 2 July 2003.
A long-awaited diamond industry ‘chain of warranties’, aimed at halting the trade in conflict diamonds, is so general that it is virtually worthless, say NGOs that have been campaigning on the issue over the past four years. International negotiations on a certification system for rough diamonds will culminate at a Ministerial Meeting of the ‘Kimberley Process’, on November 5, in Interlaken, Switzerland.
PRESS RELEASE For Immediate Release Contact: Suzanne Trimel at Amnesty: 212-633-4150 Thursday, February 22, 2007 Corinna Gilfillan at Global Witness: 202-721-5670
PRESS RELEASE 14 February 2007 Why Diamonds this Valentine's Day May Not Be the Perfect Gift of Love Amidst new reports of diamond smuggling into the U.S., Global Witness calls on consumers to do their research before buying diamond jewellery this Valentine's Day. Consumers must ask questions when they shop for diamonds to try to ensure the gems they are buying are conflict-free (see below for four simple questions to help combat conflict diamonds).
Global Witness Press Release 29 July 2005 Investigations by Global Witness have discovered that according to Lebanese Customs data, Lebanon imported rough diamonds worth US$156 million from the Republic of Congo (ROC), a country removed from the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme (KPCS) last year for having a “massive discrepancy” between its diamond production and exports.
But More Action Needed to Eliminate Trade in Conflict Diamonds Global Witness applauds the UN Security Council for passing a Security Council Resolution under Chapter VI of the UN Charter (i) strongly supporting the Kimberley Process, the international diamond certification scheme to stop the trade in conflict diamonds.(ii) The Resolution expresses “deep concern” about the role diamonds play in fuelling conflicts, encourages the widest participation of Member States in the scheme, and urges participants in the Kimberley Process to resolve outstanding issues.