This week marks the 10-year anniversary of the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme (KP), an international certification process that regulates trade in rough diamonds in an effort to prevent conflict diamonds from entering the market and fueling rebel movement.
ASM-PACE, a partnership between the World Wildlife Fund and Estelle Levin Limited to address the environmental impacts of artisanal and small scale mining (ASM) in some of the world's most important ecosystems, recently featured an excellent blog by Terah de Jong, Chief or Party of USAID’s Property Rights and Artisanal Diamond Development (PRADD) project in the Central African Republic.
Artisanal mining – a livelihood for an estimated 20 million people around the world – has historically not been an area where USAID and other donors have invested substantial resources. While a wide range of artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) practices occur throughout the world, the exploration, extraction and trade of diamonds have become increasingly viewed as controversial due to purported links with rebel movements, environmental destruction, and child labor.
In early December 2012, the Government of the Central African Republic officially launched a land tenure reform process. This process commenced with a multi-stakeholder workshop where two inter-ministerial committees were launched by the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister indicated the government’s intent to lead a public consultation process that results in the formulation of a consolidated vision for land governance, taking into consideration international principals such as the Voluntary Guidelines for the Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests.
Last week’s 2012 Plenary Meeting of the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme – which attempts to prevent the trafficking of conflict diamonds – featured two noteworthy achievements for USAID’s ongoing efforts to strengthen land tenure and property rights and prevent conflict. The first achievement was a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between USAID and the European Union to support the implementation of the Kimberley Process. Under this MoU, USAID and the EU will collaborate on the Property Rights and Artisanal Diamond Development (PRADD) program.
According to a recent NPR article, lead poisoning from illegal gold mining has killed more than 400 children in northern Nigeria. Thousands more children have been left sick and mentally stunted.
Afghanistan has significant amounts of mineral resources according to an assessment completed by the U.S. Geological Survey in 2007. However, according to a recent article by the New York Times “the potential resource boom seems increasingly imperiled by corruption, violence and intrigue.” Control over land and resource rights are increasingly becoming a source of contention, especially as the government begins to make land concessions.
The U.S. Department of State, Bureau of International Information Programs, recently published an article that highlights the PRADD project. PRADD has operated in the Central African Republic since 2007 and assists the national government comply with the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme. The project goal is to increase the amount of alluvial diamonds entering the formal chain of custody while improving the benefits accruing to diamond miners and diamond mining communities. PRADD is managed by USAID’s Land Tenure and Property Rights Division in Washington.
The article "From Blood Diamonds to Fishponds: Land-Rights Project for Central African Republic Miners Has Ripple Effect" describes the successes of a project led by USAID's Land Tenure Unit.
How a little-known U.S. program is helping two African nations meet their KP requirements.
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