Open Letter to the Jewelers of America and World Diamond Congress: Valentine's Day, 2001

We, the undersigned religious, humanitarian, development, human rights, medical, missionary, and relief organizations write to express our outrage over the continued trade in diamonds from war zones in Africa, including Sierra Leone, Angola, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. The profits to insurgent forces from their sale of diamonds have fueled wars in these countries and contributed to a tidal wave of atrocities by those forces against the unarmed population. We are especially concerned about Sierra Leone, where the Revolutionary United Front controls two-thirds of the country including its most lucrative diamond resources. The RUF continues its practice of abusing, enslaving, raping and mutilating noncombatant adults and children to this day. And the international trade in Sierra Leonean diamonds appears to be undiminished.

We welcome the South African-led "Working Group on African Diamonds" ("Kimberley process") supported by the diamond industry that led to the announcement of a commitment to establish an international system of "rough controls" last year. But we are dismayed by the slow pace of reform and the industry's inability to police its own members who continue to deal in diamonds from Sierra Leone and other conflict areas. We are disappointed that the principal countries involved in the mining, cutting, finishing, exporting, and importing of diamonds have not themselves taken the actions agreed to last year as a means of jump-starting the international rough controls regimen.

It seems clear that until a major importer of diamonds such as the U.S. prohibits the direct or indirect importation of any and all diamonds and diamond jewelry from any country that does not have the rough controls in place, progress in establishing the international system will proceed at a leisurely pace. For this reason, we strongly support legislation being introduced by Representatives Tony Hall, Cynthia McKinney, and Frank Wolf to enshrine such restrictions in U.S. trade law. We respectfully urge the American jewelry importers and retailers to support this initiative as well. The Hall-Wolf-McKinney bill, if enacted, would provide the diamond industry an inestimable service. Without penalizing the legitimate producers and exporters, the legislation would assure American diamond retailers and consumers of a "clean stream" of diamonds and put serious pressure on countries that fail to support the Kimberley rough controls agreement. Moreover, enactment of a U.S. prohibition on imports from countries that do not have the rough controls in place would encourage them to move forward quickly, and hasten the day that the functioning rough controls on diamonds and diamond jewelry would be truly internationalized.

We respectfully urge you to protect your own product and safeguard unwitting American consumers by supporting tight restrictions against all diamonds that emerge from countries that have not adopted the Kimberley rough controls. This is the approach that you called for in your September testimony before Congress, and it is the approach that Representatives Hall, McKinney, and Wolf have taken in their legislation. We hope that you will support it strongly, and urge its immediate adoption by Congress.

Sincerely, Leonard S. Rubenstein, Executive Director
Physicians for Human Rights

Adotei Akwei, Africa Advocacy Director
Amnesty International, USA

Bruce Wilkinson
Senior Vice President
World Vision

Dr. Clive Calver, President
World Relief

Raymond Offenheiser, President
Oxfam America

Rabbi David Saperstein and Rabbi Dan Polish
Commission on Social Action of Reform Judaism

Rev. Bob Edgar
General Secretary
National Council of the Churches of Christ

Rev. John McCullough
Executive Director
Church World Service and Witness

Nancy Aossey, President and CEO
International Medical Corps

Stephen G. Price
Office of Justice and Peace
Society of African Missions

Wanjiru Kamau, President
African Immigrants and Refugees Foundation

Al Graham
Air Serv International

Loretta Bondi, Advocacy Director
Arms and Conflict Program, the Fund for Peace

Larry Goodwin, Executive Director
Africa Faith and Justice Network

James Matlack, Director
Washington Office, American Friends Service Committee

David Begg, CEO
Concern Worldwide U.S.

Jaydee R. Hanson, Assistant General Secretary
United Methodist Church, General Board
Of Church and Society

William Goodfellow, Executive Director
Center for International Policy

Beverly Lacayo
Missionary Sisters of Our Lady of Africa

Kevin Lowther, Regional Director
Africare

Kathleen McNeely
Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns

Gaspar Colon
Adventist Development and Relief Agency International

Duni Jones
Self Help Initiative

David Beckman, President
Bread for the World

Alex Yearsley
Global Witness

Rev. Seamus P. Finn
Missionary Oblate Society

Roger Winter, Executive Director
U.S. Committee for Refugees

Rev. Leon Spencer
Washington Office on Africa

Tony Doyle
Mid-South Peace and Justice Center

Maureen Healy
Society of St. Ursula

Kevin George
Friends of Liberia

Thomas Tighe, President and CEO
Direct Relief International

Farshad Rastegar, CEO
Relief International

Barry LaForgia, Executive Director
International Relief Teams

Keith Wright
Food for the Hungry

Richenda VanLeeuwen, Executive Director
Trickle Up Program

Peter Sage, Program Director
Ananda Marga Universal Relief Teams

Jeffrey Meer, Executive Director
U.S. Association for UNHCR

Ron Mitchell
Sierra Leone Emergency Network

Gay McDougall, Executive Director
International Human Rights Law Group

Lynn McMullen, Executive Director
RESULTS

Dr. Ritchard M¥bayo, Chairman
Coalition for Democracy in Sierra Leone

Margaret Zeigler, Deputy Director
Congressional Hunger Center

Alfred L. Marder, President
The Amistad Committee, Inc.

Reverend Alan Thomson, International Liaison
U.S. Peace Council

Carol Fine, Chairman
NGO Committee on Southern Africa

Washington Office
Church of the Brethren

Rachel Crowger, Executive Director
African Law Initiative
American Bar Association

Peter Vander Muelen
Coordinator for Social Justice and Hunger Action
Christian Reformed Church in North America

Phyllis S. Yingling, U.S. Section Chair
Women's International League for Peace and Freedom

Rev. Mark B. Brown
Asst. Director, International Affairs and Human Rights
Lutheran Office for Governmental Affairs
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America

Rev. Phil Reed
Office of Justice and Peace
Missionaries of Africa

Robert Kushen, Executive Director
Doctors of the World

Joel R. Charny, Vice President for Policy
Refugees International

Brian Farenell, Advocacy Director
Friends of Guinea

Merle Bowen, Associate Professor, University of Illinois
William Martin, Professor, Binghamton University
Co-chairs, Association of Concerned Africa Scholars

Clifton Kirkpatrick, Stated Clerk
Presbyterian Church (USA)

Kathryn Wolford, President
Lutheran World Relief

Randall Robinson
TransAfrica

Daniel Vollman
Africa Research Project

Mel Foote, President
Constituency for Africa

Pharis Harvey, Executive Director
International Labor Rights Fund

Bass Vanderzalm, President
Northwest Medical Teams, International

Rev. Richard Cizik, Vice President for Governmental Affairs
National Association of Evangelicals

Fr. Rick Ryscavage, S.J.
Jesuit Refugee Service/USA

Kathy Thornton, RSM
Network: National Catholic Social Justice Lobby

Yael Martin, Director
Promoting Enduring Peace

Billie Day
Friends of Sierra Leone

Hasit Thankey, Project Officer
Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative

Reynold Levy, President
International Rescue Committee

Gail R. Carson, Director, Relief
and Food Security Programs
Counterpart International, Inc.

Paul Montacute, Director
Baptist World Aid of
Baptist World Alliance

Dr. Evelyn Mauss
Physicians for Social Responsibility/NYC

Save the Children

Stephen Rickard
Robert F. Kennedy Memorial

Lonnie Turner
Washington Office
Cooperative Baptist Fellowship