Abstract

The ?conflict? or ?blood? diamonds campaign effectively lasted for a little over three years, probably a shorter lifespan than any other comparable campaign in history. This chapter examines how the campaign started, the role of African civil society groups in sustaining it, and why it was so successful. It resulted in sanctions against rebels in Sierra Leone and the Liberian government, and the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme (KPCS), the global UN Security Council-endorsed system requiring the tamper-proof certification of all rough diamonds before they are traded internationally. Shortly after the Kimberley Process meetings started, a joint Belgian/UK/US mission to Sierra Leone was undertaken to develop an experimental tamperproof certification system for rough diamonds, the details of which were approved by the UN Security Council in August 2000. Keywords: African civil society; blood diamonds; Kimberley Process; Liberian government; Sierra Leone; UN Security Council

Talk to us

Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have

Schedule a call

Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.