Diamond companies across the world have agreed to devise a verification system that will attempt to end the trade in stones from areas where conflicts are taking place.
The system, which will be developed over the next few months, was accepted in principle at the World Diamond Congress in Antwerp.
The International Diamond Manufacturers Association (IDMA), which represents the companies, hopes to cut off any trade in ‘conflict diamonds’ by certifying the export of rough stones and tracing imports and exports via an international electronic registry.
Details of how this will be done have not been finalised, but IDMA president Sean Cohen said: ‘We’re saying no-conflict diamonds will be in our industry.’ He claimed the system would be effective in tracking every new and legally traded diamond.
De Beers, which handles around two-thirds of the world’s supply of rough diamonds, has led the initiative.
The company called at the congress for a ‘collective response’ to the use of diamonds as a source of funds for rebel armies in Africa (EP3, 2000, p12).
Media interest in the issue has grown in recent months. A United Nations resolution has called for an 18-month ban on trade in diamonds originating from Sierra Leone, while a recent report by the human rights pressure group Global Witness has warned of a consumer backlash against diamond companies.
Many diamond companies, including De Beers, stress they cannot be blamed for rebel wars in Africa. They argue there is little proof that diamonds lie at the root of conflicts on the continent.