A organização não governamental Global Witness anunciou o abandono do processo de certificação Kimberley Process, sistema internacional que visa impedir a comercialização de diamantes provenientes de zonas em conflito (diamantes de sangue).
A ruptura ocorre com a ONG a acusar o Kimberley Process, liderado pelo World Diamond Council, de hesitar cada vez mais em fazer a ligação directa entre diamantes, violência e tirania.
Segundo a Global Witness:
The Kimberley Process’s refusal to evolve and address the clear links between diamonds, violence and tyranny has rendered it increasingly outdated, said the group. Despite intensive efforts over many years by a coalition of NGOs, the scheme’s main flaws and loopholes have not been fixed and most of the governments that run the scheme continue to show no interest in reform.
“Nearly nine years after the Kimberley Process was launched, the sad truth is that most consumers still cannot be sure where their diamonds come from, nor whether they are financing armed violence or abusive regimes” said Charmian Gooch, a Founding Director of Global Witness. “The scheme has failed three tests: it failed to deal with the trade in conflict diamonds from Côte d’Ivoire, was unwilling to take serious action in the face of blatant breaches of the rules over a number of years by Venezuela and has proved unwilling to stop diamonds fuelling corruption and violence in Zimbabwe. It has become an accomplice to diamond laundering – whereby dirty diamonds are mixed in with clean gems.”
In a shocking move, the Kimberley Process recently authorised exports from two companies operating in the controversial Marange diamond fields in Zimbabwe. The Zimbabwean army seized control of the area in 2008, killing around 200 miners. Mining concessions were then granted in legally questionable circumstances to several companies, some of them associated with senior figures in Robert Mugabe’s Zanu PF party. Newspapers have reported that the Zimbabwean Central Intelligence Organisation, the state security service aligned with Mugabe whose members are accused of committing acts of violence against opposition supporters, directly benefits from off-budget diamond revenues.
“Over the last decade, elections in Zimbabwe have been associated with the brutal intimidation of voters. Orchestrating this kind of violence costs a lot of money. As the country approaches another election there is a very high risk of Zanu PF hardliners employing these tactics once more and using Marange diamonds to foot the bill. The Kimberley Process’s refusal to confront this reality is an outrage,” Gooch continued.
“Consumers should not buy Marange diamonds, and industry should not supply them,” said Gooch. “All existing contracts in the Marange fields should be cancelled and retendered with terms of reference which reflect international best practice on revenue sharing, transparency, oversight by and protection of the affected communities.”
The diamond industry should be required to demonstrate that the diamonds it sells are not fuelling abuses – by complying with international standards on minerals supply chain controls, including independent third party audits and regular public disclosure. Governments must show leadership by putting these standards into law.
“Consumers have a right to know what they’re buying, and what was done to obtain it,” added Gooch. “The diamond industry must finally take responsibility for its supply chains and prove that the stones it sells are clean.”
O World Diamond Council reagiu de imediato:
NEW YORK: DECEMBER 5, 2011 - The World Diamond Council expresses its regret at the announcement by Global Witness that it is leaving the Kimberley Process, and calls upon the organization's leadership to reconsider its position.
The World Diamond Council has always felt that progress in the campaign to end the trade in conflict diamonds will come through dialogue and engagement, and in this respect feels that the decision by Global Witness to walk away from the table will be counterproductive.
Global Witness' withdrawal from the Kimberley Process is regrettable, particularly given the important progress that has been made in addressing the concerns they raise.
In spite of the organization's absence at November's Kimberley Process Plenary Meeting in Kinshasa, an agreement was reached by all governments, including Canada, the European Union, the United States and Australia, to continue to hold the Zimbabwe government to account and to allow only exports from those operations in Marange that have demonstrated compliance.
With regard to the Ivory Coast, which has been suspended from the KP for several years, the Kimberley Process, with the active participation of the diamond industry, has been working closely and effectively with UN agencies to identify diamonds from that country and establish remote monitoring of its diamond mining activity. And even now, with peace being restored to the Ivory Coast, the KP continues to work with these parties to ensure that procedures are in place and compliance is achieved, before it is allowed back into the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme.
Venezuela, which also is suspended from the Kimberley Process, has been given until December 20 to provide the documents and data required, or it will be "removed from the list of KP participants."
While the rate of progress is sometimes slower than desired, the Kimberley Process has proven over the years that it is effective and does have teeth. Legal exports from the Marange region of Zimbabwe were effectively held up for two years, before it was decided that the situation at certain mines has improved to the point that monitored exports could proceed. Indeed, while boycotts against Zimbabwe have almost all proven ineffective, the KP was the only organization able to report actual progress in getting the government to change its approach.
"The overriding goal of the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme has been to protect the integrity of the diamond, so that it properly contributes to bettering the lives of ordinary people living in the areas in which it is mined and processed. The system is not perfect, and is in need of constant review. However, you cannot contribute to the process if you are no longer engaged," said Eli Izhakoff, WDC President.
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