Snapshot co-organized by the Working Group on Business and Human Rights and IPIS (International Peace Information Service) This Snapshot presentation will share grassroots experiences from communities affected by industrial diamond mining across the African continent with various avenues for seeking redress for human rights and environmental harms stemming from diamond mining operations. Despite the diamond mining sector initially spearheading responsible sourcing initiatives with the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme in 2003, many issues persist to date.
Presenters will offer first-hand perspectives from Tanzania and Lesotho, where communities and civil society have actively engaged with companies, government authorities, domestic and foreign courts, and operational-level grievance mechanisms to address corporate human rights and environmental impacts. They have pursued remedies for various issues, including abuses by security forces, pollution, floods, and land compensation disputes, with varying degrees of success. These real-life experiences will be used to provide tangible insights into the challenges and opportunities for human rights protection in mining contexts, and to derive broadly applicable strategies for addressing the complexities of remedy and accountability in the context of industrial mining across Africa.
Additional background documents: Challenges in securing access to remedy and restoring community relations after serious human rights abuse at the Williamson diamond mine (Tanzania) – report by the International Peace Information Service (IPIS): https://ipisresearch.be/publication/petra-diamonds-attempts-to-come-clean-with-its-tarnished-past-in-tanzania/Grassroots impacts of diamond mining and the role of the Kimberly Process – reports, insights and statements by the Kimberly Process Civil Society Coalition:
https://www.kpcivilsociety.org
