Blood diamonds: how a coalition of the willing has made a difference
by Benita Ferrero-Waldner
Buy a ticket to the latest Hollywood thriller Blood Diamond for a crash course in how diamonds, the world's most glamorous jewels, have fuelled some of the world's dirtiest wars.
No-one wants to wear a ring with a stone extracted amid bloodshed, misery and human rights abuses. Diamonds may be 'a girl's best friend', as Marilyn Monroe had it, but they have been a bad friend to millions of civilians caught in Southern Africa's wars.
That is the problem the plot of Blood Diamond so powerfully illustrates. That is why Southern African diamond-producing countries met in Kimberley, South Africa, in May, 2000, launching talks involving governments, non-governmental organsiations, which first drew attention to the issue, and the mining industry itself.
The United Nations passed a resolution supporting a certification scheme to prevent so-called conflict diamonds from entering legitimate international trade, and the Kimberley Process was born in 2003. The EU has supported the process since its birth, and serves as its Chair this year.
Blood Diamond takes us to Sierra Leone in 1999, to one of Africa's most brutal civil wars. It pulls no punches in showing the horrors of the illicit diamond trade: violence, destruction, the kidnapping and drugging of children turned into killers.
There are now 71 countries involved in the Kimberley Process. They have promised to control their diamond production and trade. All international shipments of rough diamonds must be in tamper-free containers and accompanied by a government-issued certificate guaranteeing their conflict-free origin. Any country failing to follow these stringent requirements can be excluded from the scheme, preventing them from selling diamonds on the international market. Inspectors check compliance with on-the-ground visits, and analyse annual reports, as well as production and trade statistics.
The Kimberley Process is an unparalleled example of the way in which civil society, industry and governments can successfully cooperate to address the horrors of war.
Today, as the film shows, Sierra Leone is at peace, as are most of the other countries which suffered conflicts fuelled by diamonds: Angola, Liberia and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). But there is no reason to be complacent just because the guns are silent - they are still fragile.
Now these countries can harness their natural wealth to promote peace and prosperity. The DRC enjoyed its best-ever year for diamond exports in 2006, with some € 700 million in official exports, about 80% of its total exports. In Sierra Leone, legal exports have increased 100-fold since the end of the war, bringing obvious benefits for the estimated 10% of the population who depend on the diamond industry.
The only rebel forces controlling diamond-producing areas today are in Côte d'Ivoire, where they account for less than 0.2% of the world's production. There has to be a political settlement to end this crisis. But even after that, the Kimberley Process will go on playing an important role in preventing conflicts from flaring up again.
The European Union has started to implement an action plan on Kimberley lines to stop timber fuelling wars, and intends to work with others in the international community to prevent other natural resources from feeding conflict too.
So remember - when you next go shopping for a special gift or engagement ring, ask for proof that the diamond you want to buy is 'clean'. For victims of conflict, your questions can make a difference - between life or death.
Benita Ferrero-Waldner is European Commissioner for External Relations