Diamonds
Conflict diamonds unite African ministers

afrol.com, 20 September - A ministerial meeting about conflict diamonds, hosted by the South African Department of Minerals and Energy, will be held in Pretoria on 21 September. Several African and international ministers are expected to discuss how to implement a global certification system for diamonds.

The Ministerial meeting is the culmination of the Kimberley Process. This was launched by the South African Government in Kimberley in May with the formation of the Kimberley Technical Forum, which agreed draft recommendations on the need for a certification scheme for rough diamonds, a diamond code, and an International Diamond Ethical Standards Committee to oversee best practice and ensure transparency and accountability. It is the final versions of these recommendations that will be presented to the Pretoria Ministerial meeting.

In order to address challenges facing the African diamond industry, the Ministers responsible for Mining and Minerals in Africa requested South Africa to co-ordinate the establishment of an initiative (as a result of diamond being mined in conflict areas) to address the potential threat of the conflict diamonds campaign.

Discussions at the conference will broadly capture the following areas:

* A global certification system for diamonds (a practical certification system will be explored);
* Establishment of an international Diamond Ethical Committee;
* The role of the diamond industry in the socio-economic development of the African continent; and
* The processes to follow after the Ministerial conference.

The South African Government will introduce a comprehensive approach to the fight against causes of conflict in Africa. Our stance is that we will intensify the focus on other drivers of conflict i.e. oil, political instability, corruption and poverty etc without diminishing our particular focus on the diamond industry.

One of the key outcomes we will be pursuing with greatest vigour at the Ministerial Conference in Pretoria will be to get industry to unequivocally commit to what they will do about socio-economic development and rehabilitation of communities living in and around the mineral resource. For us this is as critical as establishing the Global Certification system for diamonds.

British Minster of State, Peter Hain, will visit also South Africa from 20-21 September to attend the meeting. Commenting on the visit, Mr Hain said: "I want to pay tribute to the leadership that South Africa has shown in bringing together the leading African and other producer states, and for seizing the initiative to ensure that diamonds bring prosperity, not war, to Africa's people. The Kimberley Process has achieved a great deal, and has been immensely valuable in generating ideas on how we might tackle the problem of 'conflict diamonds'. It has been a trailblazer."

Source: South African Department of Minerals and Energy & British Foreign Office

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