JDI Guinea Sierra Leone Zimbabwe Spring 2020 Final Report
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29 April 2020 1.0 Key Terms and Abbreviations……………………………………………………........p. 3 2.0 Executive Summary………………………………………………………………...,....p. 4 3.0 Introduction………………………………………………………….……………........p. 7 3.1 Limitations…………………………………...………………...........p. 7 3.2 The Kimberley Process………………………..……………….........p. 8 3.3 Overview of Mining Processes……………………………...…........p. 8 4.0 GUINEA………………………………………………………………………….........p. 9 4.1 Cultural & Historical Background………………………………......p. 9 4.2 Human Rights……………………………………………..…...........p. 10 4.3 Human Health……………………………………………...…..........p. 15 4.4 Governance………………………………………………….............p. 16 4.5 Economics ………………………………………………......…........p. 18 4.6 Environment………………………………………………….….......p. 22 5.0 SIERRA LEONE……………………………………………………………...…........p. 25 5.1 Cultural & Historical Background…………………………..…........p. 25 5.2 Human Rights………………………………………………...…......p. 26 5.3 Human Health……………………………………………….............p. 29 5.4 Governance…………………………………………………...…......p. 30 5.5 Economics ……………………………………………………..........p. 34 5.6 Environment……………………………………………………........p. 36 6.0 ZIMBABWE…………………………………………………………..…………........p. 40 6.1 Cultural & Historical Background……………………………..........p. 40 6.2 Human Rights………………………………………….....……........p. 41 6.3 Human Health…………………………………………….……........p. 44 6.4 Governance……………………………………………….……........p. 46 6.5 Economics …………………………………………………..…........p. 48 6.6 Environment……………………………………………………........p. 50 1 7.0 Methodology………………………………………………………………..…….........p. 55 8.0 Gap Analysis……………………………………………………………..……….........p. 56 9.0 Recommendation for Future Research……………………………...…………….........p. 58 10.0 Comparative Analysis………………………………………………..……….........p. 59 10.1 Human Rights……………………………………………….......p. 59 10.2 Human Health……………………………………………….......p. 60 10.3 Governance………………………………………………….......p. 61 10.4 Economics……………………………………………….............p. 62 10.5 Environment……………………………………………...….......p. 63 11.0 Conclusion……………………………………….…………………..……….........p. 65 12.0 Acknowledgements ………………………...………………………..……….........p. 75 2 Africa National Union (ZANU) Economic Community of West African States Monitoring Group (ECOMOG) Environmental Management Agency (EMA) International Monetary Fund (IMF) Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) United States Dollars (USD) TERMS SPECIFIC TO: GENERAL MINING INDUSTRY African Initiative on Mining, Environment, and Society (AIMES) Artisanal Small-Scale Mining (ASM) Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) Kimberley Process Certification Scheme (KPCS) National Resource Governance Institute (NRGI) Rare Earth Mineral (REM) Resource Governance Index (RGI) GUINEA Entreprise Guinéenne d’Exploitation du Diamant (EGED) Ministère des Mines et de la Géologie (MMG) SIERRA LEONE National Minerals Agency (NAM) Republic of Sierra Leone Military Forces (RSLMF) Revolutionary United Front (RUF) ZIMBABWE Zimbabwe African National Union (ZAPU) 3 There has been an increase in both public awareness and public consciousness of the linkages between commodity chains and human rights. With people looking to be informed consumers who make ethical choices, it is important to develop nuanced understandings of the most popular consumer goods. Diamonds are one such good. They are a classic gemstone, prized for their beauty and rarity, and are increasingly scrutinized by consumers who are looking to purchase ethical stones. To best understand the ethics and impacts of a diamond, a consumer looks to understand where their diamond is being sourced, and what effects the extraction process has on the nation of origin. This report develops an understanding of the impacts of diamond mining in three diamond producing African nations: Guinea, Sierra Leone, and Zimbabwe. This study was influenced by the Jewelry Development Impact Index (JDI), and originally intended to contribute index scores to the JDI using the extensive methodology developed by the University of Delaware. While the report pivoted from providing scores for the index, the work was designed in a similar spirit to promote the same understanding of how diamond mining impacts human security. It was through the guidance of previous JDI methodology and supporters that this work was completed. To promote a complete understanding of the impacts of diamond mining on Guinea, Sierra Leone, and Zimbabwe, this report worked along-side a condensed list of the United Nation’s Indicators for Human Security to create a comprehensive analysis of the impacts of diamond mining. This condensed list included the following five topics areas, and the listed subsections of each. 4 First, each nation is presented with framing on how diamond mining impacts Human Rights, seen through the lenses of Workers’ Rights, Indigenous/Minority Rights, Women’s Rights, Children’s Rights, and Freedom from Violence. Second, each nation is presented with framing on how Human Health is impacted by diamond mining through the lenses of Human Health Risk, Food Security, and Water Security. Third, each nation is presented with framing on how Governance is impacted by diamond mining through the lenses of Governance and Accountability, Transparency, Corruption, Industrial Regulation, and Non-State Actors/Criminal Organizations. Fourth, each nation is presented with framing on how diamond mining impacts Economics through the lenses of Industry Employment, Fiscal Responsibility, Beneficiation, Smuggling/Informal Economy, and Non-State Actor/Terrorist Funding. Finally, each nation is presented with framing on how the Environment is impacted through the lenses of Sustainability and Protections. The findings of this report suggest that there are notable negative impacts on human security related to diamond mining in Guinea, Sierra Leone, and Zimbabwe. Human rights are often called in to question, and concerns were identified. These include prominent violations of labor laws and child labor laws, and forced labor in all three country’s diamond sectors. Indigenous and minority rights were more protected and stable. Human security risks linked to human health identified include the prominence of close-quarters and the rapid spread of disease, compromised water security, and compromised food security. Diamond mining in all three nations is associated with weak governance practices, high levels of corruption, and little political capacity. Non-state actors hold influence over the diamond mining sectors across all three nations, and are a somewhat unknown variable. Human security is bolstered on the economic front, where high- 5 value industry contributes to stable livelihoods for people working in the diamond mining sector. Diamond mining often significantly contributes to GDP growth in nations that undertake mining. In terms of environmental impacts on human security, diamond mining proliferates deforestation and desertification, water pollution, and soil erosion and pollution in all three nations. While there are dedicated and promising attempts at codifying environmental protections to mitigate environmental harms, they are under-supported and thus ineffective. While Guinea, Sierra Leone, and Zimbabwe participate in the Kimberley Process, each also struggles to uphold the principles due to lacking infrastructure and political will. There have been steps taken toward positive change because of increased international regulation on the industry at large. Implementing idealistic programing and certifications is not a fruitless endeavor, and has the potential to positively impact human security over time, if properly enforced and supported. At present, this report finds that there is a net-negative impact on human security as it relates to diamond mining, but that there is immense potential for genuine improvements to be made in Guinea, Sierra Leone, and Zimbabwe. 6 This report analyzes the impact of diamond mining on human security in Guinea, Sierra Leone, and Zimbabwe using the following United Nations human security indicators: political security (governance and human rights), economic security, environmental security, and health security. Focusing on a single resource across all three countries limits the scope of this comparative analysis to focus on a small section of the expansive extractives industry in Africa. In the following sections, each country is separately analyzed by human security indicator—leading to a final comparative analysis and conclusion set produced from academic research and interviews from experts who specialize in this field. 3.1 Limitations Efforts to analyze the impact of the diamond industry in Guinea, Sierra Leone, and Zimbabwe were challenged by two factors: 1) lack of transparent data on the diamond industry in Africa; and 2) a very limited pool of experts available for interviews and consultation. The governments in each country have worked to improve their oversight of the industry, but as this study will address, there are gaps in official statistics and concerns of corruption that raise questions regarding the reliability of available data. Although limited interview success was achieved during the first half of research, there was insufficient original data available to create a product without the utilization of data extrapolation from information unrelated to diamond mining. This report uses information from other mining sectors to craft an educated analysis on the consequences of diamond extraction where original data was unavailable. This can be seen heavily employed in the Guinea and Zimbabwe analyses, as these countries in particular