[Netnews-action] 11 Feb: Conflict Diamonds action

[Manchester Campaigns]

-------- Forwarded Message --------
> From: helen at manchesterfoe.org.uk

> Hi all
> 
> Sorry for the short notice about this, but we're trying to muster up
> volunteers for a quick action this Saturday in town. Amnesty and Global
> Witness have just produced a short shopping guide on conflict diamonds, to
> provide shoppers with info about conflict diamonds and the types of
> questions they need to ask retailers to try and ensure the diamonds they
> buy are conflict-free - we'll be handing out copies of these in town
> outside major jewellers on Saturday, it being the last Saturday before
> valentines and therefore - maybe! - one of the busiest days of the year
> for buying diamonds.
> (See below for background to issue)
> 
> This has been organised by the Manchester Amnesty group but it would be
> great if we could go along and show our support. FoE hasn't itself
> campaigned on conflict diamonds but campaigns such as palm oil and Shell's
> operations in Nigeria aim to highlight the link between exploitation of
> natural resources, environmental destruction and human rights abuses.
> 
> Meet at 11am outside HMV on Market Street, Saturday 11th February.
> 
> Cheers
> Helen (07940 006783 - give me a ring if we're not there when you arrive!)
> 
> Bit of background to the issue ...
> The trade in illicit and conflict diamonds fuels civil wars and human
> rights abuses - they have been responsible for funding recent conflicts in
> Africa (Angola, Sierra Leone, Liberia, DRC), where profits from the
> illegal trade in diamonds, worth billions of dollars, were used by
> warlords and rebels to buy arms. An international governmental
> certification scheme - the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme - has
> been operating since 2003.  However, both governments and the diamond
> industry are still falling short in combating the trade in conflict
> diamonds - some members of the diamond industry continue to evade the
> Kimberley Process controls while others turn a blind eye ... for example
> in Cote d'Ivoire diamonds are being mined in rebel-held areas and then
> smuggled through neighbouring countries into international markets, which
> could end up in our shops and we'd be none the wiser about where they've
> come from.
> Through a voluntary self-regulation scheme, the UK diamond industry made 3
> commitments to support the Kimberley Process: to implement a code of
> conduct to prevent buying or selling conflict diamonds; to implement a
> system of warranties requiring all invoices to contain written guarantee
> that diamonds are conflict free; and to inform company employees about the
> industry's policies and government regulations to combat the trade. A
> survey carried out by Amnesty/GW in 2004 found that the self-regulation
> wasn't working and that retailers were not doing enough - details can be
> found here:
> http://www.globalwitness.org/buyconflictfree
> 
> The action on Saturday aims to encourage shoppers to put pressure on
> retailers and make sure they can give assurances that their diamonds are
> conflict-free.  We want customers to be asking retailers:
> do you know where the diamonds you sell come from?
> do you have a company policy on conflict diamonds?
> can you show me a written guarantee from your suppliers that your diamonds
> are conflict-free?
> 
> More info on the issue in general from:
> http://www.globalwitness.org/campaigns/diamonds/
> 
>