Kimberley Process falls short, says NGO

by eyetee | November 3, 2008 12:00 am

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The Kimberley Process is helping to combat conflict diamonds for the most part, but the problem still persists in some parts of the world, says a group dedicated to their eradication.

Partnership Africa Canada (PAC) says trading in conflict diamonds continues in Côte d’Ivoire “seemingly beyond the ingenuity and the powers of the 75 governments represented in the Kimberley Process (KP) and the world’s entire diamond industry.” The Ottawa, Ont.-based NGO made its comments in its annual review, “Diamonds and Human Security.”

The 24-page report discusses the diamond trade in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Angola, and Sierra Leone, three countries most seriously affected by conflict diamonds. For the first time, however, the review also looks at countries like Brazil, Venezuela, and Ghana, which are touched by the trade of conflict diamonds or “where internal controls over diamonds and where development considerations remain problematic.”

The document notes the Kimberley Process has made significant strides in abolishing conflict diamonds, thereby making it difficult for smugglers, money launderers, and tax evaders to carry on with their activities.

However, PAC also points out several incidents uncovered by NGOs where internal controls in countries like Brazil and Venezuela have failed and where the Kimberley Process has moved too slowly to investigate.

“[These cases] have also shown that the Kimberley Process is incapable of discovering even the most serious problems on its own.”

The report makes several suggestions to re-vamp the Kimberley Process, including that it establish its own proactive research capabilities, that it get tougher on participants to set up meaningful internal controls, and that it act quickly when a problem arises.

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