A tale of two diamond certification schemes: the Kimberley Process and the G7’s Russian diamond ban
January 22, 2024The diamond trade is today faced with arguably the biggest crisis since the blood diamond controversy of the late 1990s. Once again this has to do with widespread concern that proceeds from mining and trading this precious symbol of eternal love are being used to finance conflict. This time the source of controversy are Russian diamonds, which represent about one third of the global production, an
From laggard to leader? Zimbabwe’s turbulent diamond history
January 31, 2023This IPIS Insight provides background and context to Zimbabwe’s current Kimberley Process chairmanship, both historically and in light of whether it might present opportunities for government and corporate actors in the country to exorcise their demons.
Troubled waters in the Kasai. Pollution by the Angolan diamond industry and culpable negligence by the Congolese government
September 2, 2022Late July 2021, local media first reported on the brownish-red discoloration of hundreds of kilometers of the Democratic Republic of Congo’s Tshikapa and Kasai rivers due to pollution from ‘industrial diamond mines’ in neighbouring Angola. About a year after the news reached the world press, hardly anything has been heard about the environmental disaster.
Russian diamonds and the war in Ukraine
April 4, 2022In this Insight, IPIS provides background and analysis on several aspects of the Russian diamond sector, what links it has to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and how the international business and political community is seeking an adequate response to the challenges this raises. The Russian invasion of Ukraine, that started on 24 February 2022, has led to international outrage. Russ
IPIS Briefing August 2021 – Cameroon’s diamond sector: small player, big challenges
September 3, 2021The IPIS briefing offers a selection of articles, news and updates on natural resources, armed conflict, Business & Human Rights and arms trade. Every month, an editorial and related publications shed a light on a specific topic in IPIS’ areas of research. In focus: Cameroon’s diamond sector: small player, big challenges. In the news: Conflict diamonds may be virtually extinct in 2021, but yo
Belgium’s fight against conflict diamonds: an assessment of the country’s diamond sector controls from a global perspective
May 31, 2021In its new report, IPIS assesses Belgium’s fight against conflict diamonds. The report focusses on the Belgian city of Antwerp, which has played a central role in the global diamond trade for centuries. Yet as the world’s diamond hub, Antwerp not only attracted the best but also the worst of this diverse industry. In no uncertain terms, a series of UN and NGO reports linking Antwerp to bloody civi
IPIS Briefing November 2020 – The diamond industry
December 3, 2020The IPIS briefing offers a selection of articles, news and updates on natural resources, armed conflict, Business & Human Rights and arms trade. Every month, an editorial and related publications shed a light on a specific topic in IPIS’ areas of research. In focus: The diamond industry – ethics in the time of a pandemic In the news: Ethiopia-Tigray Conflict; WWF Admitted “Sorrow” Over Human
IPIS Briefing November 2019 – Focus on Kimberley Process after failed reform cycle
December 6, 2019The IPIS briefing offers a selection of articles, news and updates on natural resources, armed conflict, Business & Human Rights and arms trade. Every month, an editorial and related publications shed a light on a specific topic in IPIS’ areas of research. In focus: Kimberley Process after failed reform cycle. In the news: United Nations takes step in developing a Treaty on Business and Human
Dissecting the social license to operate: Local community perceptions of industrial mining in northwest Tanzania
August 28, 2019Discussions on industrial mining often revolve around the sector’s contribution to domestic revenue generation. The local impact on the rural communities wherein most of these companies operate receives much less attention. To bring the voices of these communities to the centre of the debate, IPIS conducted surveys on community perspectives in 32 villages nearby six industrial mines in northwest T
Mapping artisanal and small-scale mining in northwest Tanzania
January 25, 2019IPIS has undertaken an unprecedented mobile data collection campaign, mapping 450 artisanal and small-scale mining and processing sites in northwest Tanzania. This serves to improve the evidence based on the sector, and contribute to a balanced understanding of its nature, scope and impact in Tanzania. Download the Report Visit the Interactive Webmap Download the full resolution static map (A0)
Artisanal Gold Monitoring Pilot (2017)
October 17, 2017With the support of the Public Private Alliance for Responsible Minerals Trade (PPA), IPIS set up its Artisanal Gold Monitoring Pilot in Mambasa (Ituri Province, DRC) between April 2016 and July 2017. This involved developing a low-cost methodology to produce a continuous data flow on a wide range of indicators related to the operational, security and human rights context of artisanal gold mining.
Artisanal Gold Monitoring Pilot – Progress reports
June 20, 2017With the support of the Public Private Alliance for Responsible Minerals Trade (PPA), IPIS set up its Artisanal Gold Monitoring Pilot in Mambasa (Ituri Province, DRC) between April 2016 and July 2017. The findings of the research are summarized in three progress reports, which can be found below, and a final monitoring report, which can be found here. Progress report August – September 2016
