Property Rights and Artisanal Diamond Development II: Central African Republic

General

The Property Rights and Artisanal Diamond Development II (PRADD II) Project supports the government of the Central African Republic (CAR) to implement mining best practices and promotes good governance of the mining sector at the international level through the Kimberley Process (KP), the international mechanism that strives to prevent rough diamonds from fueling conflict. The objective of PRADD II is to increase the number of alluvial diamonds entering the formal chain of custody, while improving the benefits accruing to diamond mining communities. PRADD II also promotes peace building through supporting the reestablishment of the legitimate conflict-free diamond supply chain in Kimberley Process-approved “compliant zones”. The anticipated result and aim is that rough diamond exports from these compliant zones will resume, thereby providing a legal export channel, reducing the role of illegal diamonds in fueling conflict, and contributing to economic reconstruction. In addition, it is hoped that social cohesion in diamond mining communities and adhesion of all diamond sector actors to the legitimate supply chain will be strengthened, contributing to long-term peace-building. ACHIEVEMENTS BUILDING GOVERNMENT CAPACITY PRADD II assisted the government with developing an operational framework for implementing the KP requirements. PRADD II is working closely with the CAR authorities to establish processes to address the Operational Framework in CAR’s five compliant zones. PRADD II coordinated the consolidation and input of diamond data for the period from 2006 to 2013 and handed the database over to the General Director of the Ministry of Mines, Energy and Hydrology and the KP Permanent Secretariat to help fulfill a key requirement of the Operational Framework conditions imposed by the (KP). In addition, PRADD II worked closely with the mining authorities to prepare reforms in the collection of diamond production and marketing data required of the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme (KPCS) and procured e-tablets and GPS units for data collections and geo-referencing of artisanal diamond mining sites. These reforms have now been codified within the ministry and are the basis of decision making matrices spelling out for the first time how and when data should be collected. PRADD II has contributed to the establishment of the national and local Monitoring Committees required by the KP, but at the national level this structure remains weak due to governance challenges in CAR. ADVANCING SOCIAL COHESION A one-month long field diagnostic on the evolution of the artisanal diamond mining economy and its contributions to social cohesion was completed in mid-2016, and principle findings were presented at a workshop convened by the Ministry of Mines, Energy, and Hydrology. The influential study spells out ways to use traditional African conflict resolution approaches to help resolve outstanding disputes between ethnic and religious groups in diamond mining communities. Following this study, PRADD II is working with international non-governmental organizations specializing in conflict management to bring their focus and work to these diamond mining communities. STRENGTHENING THE ROLE OF CIVIL SOCIETY PRADD II partnered with an international research center to hold a workshop with 25 civil society organizations on the dynamics of the artisanal diamond economy within the broader mining sector. For the first time ever, civil society was actively solicited by the Ministry of Mines to learn more about the complex diamond economy and to play a constructive, informed, and active role in advocating transparency in the diamond mining sector.