Conflict-free diamond
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Conflict-free diamonds are diamonds of certified origin which are guaranteed not to be tainted by violence, human rights abuses, child labor, or environmental destruction. These diamonds are individually tracked through their full chain of custody to ensure that ethical practices are used in mining, cutting, and polishing.[1]
Conflict diamonds are often described by the narrow United Nations definition as diamonds "that originate from areas controlled by forces or factions opposed to legitimate and internationally recognized governments, and are used to fund military action in opposition to those governments, or in contravention of the decisions of the UN Security Council". The U.N. sponsored Kimberley Process addresses only this narrow definition of conflict diamonds,i.e., they do not include governments or government forces that trade in diamonds to finance their conflicts.
Conflict-free diamonds address more than the U.N. definition and are free of all violence and human rights abuses,[1] whether state-sanctioned or directed against a government. In addition, conflict-free diamonds are mined in an environmentally responsible fashion.[2] Conflict-free diamonds must be independently tracked from their country and individual mine of origin. Almost all conflict-free diamonds today originate in Canada,[3] and are verifiable through an independent auditing system,[1] such as the Canadian Diamond Code of Conduct,[4] Canadamark,[5] or the Government of the Northwest Territories.
[edit] References
- ^ a b c What Is A Conflict-Free Diamond? The Conflict-Free Diamond Council, accessed online December 26, 2006
- ^ Shopping for the Guilt-Free Diamond BusinessWeek, accessed online January 4, 2007
- ^ DeBare, Ilana Canadian gems leave buyers conflicted - Does buying them help or hurt Africa? San Francisco Chronicle, December 10, 2006, accessed online December 26, 2006
- ^ Voluntary Code of Conduct for Authenticating Canadian Diamond Claims The Canadian Diamond Code of Conduct, accessed online December 26, 2006
- ^ What is CanadaMark? BHP Billiton, accessed online December, 26, 2006
