Diplomacy –NGOs and Conflict Diamonds

GEOG220

Global Witness

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ehbOiGs3JZE

Viktor Bout

• Leonid Minin

Outline

• Resources and armed conflicts– Empirical evidence

• The case of diamonds- Structure of the industry- Conflict diamonds cases- Anti-conflict diamond responses

What do statistical studies find?

About 20 large-N studies on resource dependence and wars:

• Conflict likelihood: low except for oil and diamonds

• Duration: relative (oil shortens if out of conflict area, prolongs if in, diamonds prolong)

• Severity: relative (more severe for oil and diamonds; less severe for narcotics)

• Termination: favor military government (by government)

$13 billion industrymillions of workersDe Beers controls 70%

The (political) geology of diamonds

ARTISANALALLUVIAL

INDUSTRIALKIMBERLITE

Comparison Botswana / Sierra Leone:Per capita production and tax revenue (US$, 2005)

Characteristic ofdiamond producing countries

Conflict diamond cases

• Angola(1992-2002)

• Sierra Leone(1991-2001)

• Liberia(1989-2005)

• Dem. Rep. Congo(1996-present)

• Côte d’Ivoire(2002-present)

- Guinea (2000)- Centre Africain Republic (2001)

Angola• UNITA rebel group – at war with government

since 1975, major diamond revenues since early 1990s, war ends 2002

Sierra Leone• RUF rebel group – at war with government

since 1991, major diamond revenues since 1995, war ends 2001

Challenges

• Diamonds easily produced, transported, stored and traded

• Complicity or at least complacency of the diamond industry including main buyer De Beers

• Large industry crucial to the economy of some countries (esp. Botswana and Namibia)

Responses• Military interventions

• Peace agreements

• Economic sanctions

• Advocacy

• International trade reforms

• Media coverage

Military interventions (paid by local governments)

It is EOs mission to provide:…

- A total a-political service based on confidentiality, integrity, professionalism and

dedication in order to create a climate for peace and stability for foreign investment.

Peace negotiations and wealth sharing

Foday Sankoh (leader of the RUF/SL)

Chairman of the Commission for the Management of Strategic Resources, Sierra Leone

Source: M. Ross, 2006

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

1960 1964 1968 1972 1976 1980 1984 1988 1992 1996 2000 2004

Numberof responses

ExpertsSanctions

Ivory Coast (FN)

Angola (UNITA)

Cambodia (KR)

Sierra Leone (RUF)

D.R.Congo

Liberia

United Nations Security Council responses

60% of commodity sanctions on diamonds

Advocacy“There is a dangerous acceptance amongst the international community that the mechanics of the trade in diamonds, particularly from UNITA controlled areas [in Angola], are beyond any real controls.”Global WitnessDecember 1998

Second major NGO report - PAC

INSIGHTSPartnership Africa

Canada

THE HEART OF THE MATTER

SIERRA LEONE, DIAMONDS & HUMAN SECURITY

Ian Smillie, Lansana Gberie, Ralph Hazleton

January 2000

NGO recommendations

• Investigations into UN sanctions busting

• Global certification scheme

• Deployment of UN peacekeepers

NGO coalition (2000)13 NGOs react collectively to the UN expert panel on UNITA sanctions (14

April 2000 open letter to UNSC)

Action for Southern AfricaAfrica Policy Information CenterCatholic Institute for International RelationsCenter for Development of International LawComité Afrique AustraleEuropean Network for Information and Action on Southern AfricaGlobal Policy ForumGlobal WitnessIbis DenmarkNederlands Instituut voor Zuidelijk AfrikaPeace Action InternationalQuaker United Nations OfficeSaferworld

=> FATAL TRANSACTIONS created (EU)

‘Big NGOs’ come in• Human Rights Watch (May 2000)• Amnesty International (May 2000)• Oxfam (June 2000)• World Vision (July 2000)

Attacks on NGOs

• Global Witness funded by De Beers?

• PAC is Canadian… trying to ‘kill’ Antwerp

Tensions among NGOs

• Constructive approach versus boycott

• Campaign ownership and band-wagons

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A1I2rPnQqlk

Diamond industry responds• Southern Africa diamond-producing countries and

companies meet in Kimberley, May 2000

• NGO Joint letter reacting to World Diamond Congress (Antwerp, July 2000) => Industry represented by World Diamond Council

• United Nations General Assembly supports Certification, December 2000

• Tripartite negotiation process resulting in an international voluntary scheme of certification (2003)

Diamond certification

Media coverage and policy interventions

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

160

Jan-1998Apr-1998Jul-1998Oct-1998Jan-1999Apr-1999Jul-1999Oct-1999Jan-2000Apr-2000Jul-2000Oct-2000Jan-2001Apr-2001Jul-2001Oct-2001Jan-2002Apr-2002Jul-2002Oct-2002Jan-2003

Number of articles per month

Global Witness ‘Rough Trade’ report

UNSC Sanctions RUF

UNSC Sanctions UNITA

UNSC ‘Fowler’ report

PAC ‘Heart of the Matter’ report

KPCS agreement

UNAMSIL hostage crisis

KPCS launched

Conflict diamonds media coverage (1998-2007)

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

160

Jan-02Jul-02Jan-03Jul-03Jan-04Jul-04Jan-05Jul-05Jan-06Jul-06Jan-07Jul-07Jan-08Jul-08Jan-09Jul-09Jan-10Jul-10Jan-11Jul-11

Number of articles per month

Toothless?

• Expulsion of the Republic of Congo

• Acceptation of practices in Zimbabwe

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9pejKoaplaA

Conflict diamonds: lessons learned

• Move beyond ‘business as usual’ (e.g. ‘paper sanctions’ and

‘licit smuggling’)

• Address individual conflicts through broad industry reforms

• Understand the characteristics of conflicts and resources,

including structure and practices of the industry

• Build broad coalitions (NGOs, industry, governments)

Beyond conflict diamonds

• Be hopeful: a few people can make a difference

• Be ambitious: local issues cannot always be resolved

locally and even ‘big business’ can change

• Be tenacious: reforms take time

• Be principled and constructive: keep standards but

reach out to build alliances

Main sources

Ballentine, K and H Nitschke (2005) Profiting from Peace. Managing the Resource Dimensions of Civil War. Boulder: Rienner.

Bannon, I and P Collier (2003) Natural Resources and Armed Conflicts. Options and Actions. World Bank.

Le Billon, P (2005) Fuelling War. Natural Resources and Armed Conflicts. Adelphi Paper 373, IISS & Routledge.

Le Billon, P and E Nicholls (2007) Ending resource wars: revenue sharing, economic sanction, or military intervention? International Peacekeeping 14(5): 613-632.

Le Billon, P (2008) Diamond Wars? Conflict Diamonds and Geographies of Resource Wars. Annals of the Association of American Geographers 98(2): 345 - 372

Ross, ML (2006) A closer look at oil, diamonds, and civil war. Annual Review of Political Science 9: 265-300.

New book: Ian Smillie (2010) Blood on the Stone: Greed, Corruption and War in the Global Diamond Trade.

Online sources

• Global Witness– http://www.globalwitness.org/

• Partnership Africa Canada– http://www.pacweb.org/

• Kimberley Process– http://www.kimberleyprocess.com/

• Blood diamonds documentary– https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eThlmx7w9r0

Diamonds and Human Security

• Political: prolongation/escalation of civil war• Community: expulsion of local populations, anti-migrant

repression• Personal: criminality

• Economic: inflation, labour market distorsions• Food: high prices, farmland degradation• Health: working conditions, malaria, STDs (HIV/AIDS)

• Environmental: ecosystem degradation, pollution, human settlements

Diavik mine

Follow-up by Global Witness

• 25 reports and 60 press releases between 2000 and 2007

• Constant participation in international meetings

• Focus on reform process– Certification (Kimberley process), prosecution, post-

conflict reforms

• But limited presence in producing countries

PAC - Recommendations

• Recommendations– Permanent Independent International Diamond Standards

Commission (under UN)– Deployment of UN troops in SL diamond areas and

transport routes– Reforms in diamond management– De Beers to increase its oversight– Belgium to strengthen controls– UN sanctions on Liberia and Ivory Coast– Canada to control its mining companies– Call for effective consumer campaign

Follow-up by PAC

• Regular newsletter• Investigative reports• Constant participation in international meetings

Lessons learned NGOs

• Investigations: gather evidence and bring the story out (but avoid sensationalist journalism)

• Advocacy: patience, tenacity and leadership

• Constructive engagement : medias, governments, companies, and consumers

• Sticks and carrots: boycott and branding

• Adaptation: from ‘blood diamonds’ to ‘development diamonds’