Zimbabwe Is Pressured On Diamond Mines

Diamond miners in Marange, eastern Zimbabwe.via AP/WSJThe first top-level EU delegation to visit Zimbabwe in seven years is pressuring President Robert Mugabe to address massive human-rights violations in Zimbabwe’s diamond mines. The country supplies only 0.4% of diamonds worldwide, but the money is significant to the Zimbabwe economy.

At issue is suspending Zimbabwe’s coveted Kimberly Process certification, insuring global diamond buyers and consumers that the stones come from highly-maintained, violations-free production zones.

The Wall Street Journal article Zimbabwe’s Diamond Production Draws Scrutiny is informative as an educational tool about the intersection of business, consumption, corruption and monitoring worldwide. DeBeers is heavily featured in the article, having notified all its clients, not to buy “human-rights violations-tainted” diamonds from Zimbabwe. A