Report: U.K. retailers not doing enough to combat conflict diamonds

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Report: U.K. retailers not doing enough to combat conflict diamonds

May 31, 2007

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United Kingdom—A new survey by Global Witness and Amnesty International UK released on Tuesday reports that many of the United Kingdom's leading retail jewelers still do not have effective policies in place to help British consumers avoid purchasing conflict diamonds.

The survey, which polled 42 top British retailers, found that 79 percent of retailers who did respond reported having no auditing procedures in place to combat the trade in conflict diamonds; 31 percent of retailers failed to respond to repeated requests to provide information about their policies, including Cartier, House of Fraser and John Lewis; and 62 percent of retailers do not post any information on their Web sites about their conflict-diamond policies.

Although most companies that did respond reported adhering to the diamond industry's minimal systems of self-regulation, only a few retailers, including Signet (and subsidiaries Ernest Jones, H Samuel and Leslie Davis) and Tiffany and Co., have reported going beyond the minimum industry standards, putting in place strong measures to combat conflict diamonds, the report says.

The survey was released amid reports of continuing diamond smuggling and of conflict diamonds from West Africa reaching the international diamond market.

"After all the promises the diamond industry has made, it is very disappointing to find that retailers here in the United Kingdom are still not taking the necessary steps to ensure the diamond supply chain is cleaned up from mine to shop counter," Amnesty International UK Business and Human Rights Campaigner Nick Dearden said in a press release.

Global Witness and Amnesty International UK are calling for the following measures to help ensure that the diamond industry is living up to its commitments to combat conflict diamonds:

* All sectors of the diamond industry, including the retail jewelry sector, should implement third-party audit measures and responsible sourcing policies.
* The United Kingdom, the European Commission and other governments should carry out stricter oversight of the diamond industry and strengthen and improve enforcement of the Kimberley Process.
*Retail jewelers should make their policies on conflict diamonds prominently accessible on their Web sites.

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