Archive for the Conflict-Free Diamonds category
Is it ethical to buy diamonds?
by Admin on January 22nd, 2007
Some Jewelers have sought to bypass human rights concerns by selling only Canadian diamonds. But both the industry and campaigners say this could hurt some of the world’s poorest people. Only a single Canadian diamond manufacturer can actually prove that their diamonds are not conflict diamonds. The rest adhere to an “honor system” known as the Canadian Diamond Code of Conduct, but this is not a regulated system and the possibility of corruption exists as much as anywhere else in North America. Despite the Canadian companies using “conflict free” as an adopted national marketing slogan, there are very few safe guards to ensure that diamond rough polished in Canada has not been “smuggled” in from conflict zones. More
Tags: wccci, blood diamond, kimberly process, whiteflash, conflict free diamonds
Conflict Diamonds Press Briefing
by Admin on January 15th, 2007
Sue Saarnio, Special Advisor for Conflict Diamonds; Cecilia Gardner, General
Counsel, U.S. Kimberley Process Authority
Foreign Press Center Briefing
Washington, DC; New York, New York
MODERATOR: Well, good afternoon, everyone. Welcome to the Foreign Press Center. Today’s briefing will address the issue of conflict diamonds and how the United States and 70 other countries around the world are working via the Kimberley Process to monitor and control trade in rough diamonds.
Jennifer Connelly on Diamonds
by Admin on January 2nd, 2007
Martin Rapaport on the movie Blood Diamond
by Admin on December 9th, 2006
Consumers Should Demand Conflict-Free Diamonds This Holiday Season
by Admin on December 4th, 2006
Two international rights organizations are urging consumers to take action this holiday season to help prevent “blood diamonds” from entering the legal diamond trade. Amnesty International and Global Witness, with the support of the director and cast members of the movie “Blood Diamond,” have launched blooddiamondaction.org, a website to educate consumers about the role of diamonds in funding conflicts that have a devastating impact on civilians.
Blood diamonds are gems that have been used by rebel groups to fund wars across Africa, leading to more than four million deaths and millions more people displaced from their homes. More
‘May I see a copy of your company’s policy on conflict diamonds?’
by Admin on December 4th, 2006
RAPAPORT… In a joint statement distributed by Amnesty International and Global Witness, with the support of the director and cast members of the movie Blood Diamond, the message for buying diamonds this Christmas season is “consumers should demand conflict-free diamonds.” More
Africa: Only conflict-free diamonds, please
by Admin on December 4th, 2006
Ghana, implicated in trafficking conflict diamonds, has been given a three-month reprieve by a global watchdog set up to eliminate the trade in so-called blood diamonds. Ahead of the four-day closed-door session of the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme (KPCS) plenary in Botswana’s capital, Gaborone, which ended on Thursday, delegates came under pressure to act against Ghana, which was identified as a conduit for Cote d’Ivoire diamonds by the United Nations Panel of Experts. About 300 delegates, representing the diamond industry, producer countries and nongovernmental organisations (NGOs) from 70-odd countries, gathered for the annual review of the trade, worth about US$37.6 billion a year. More
