Activities & Plans

The DDII has planned a number of activities which aim to introduce change to the alluvial diamond mining sector in Africa. These include:

• Research into the revenue flows from mine to export, in other words “who exactly earns what.” Knowledge of who benefits most from current arrangements is important to changing them in favour of diggers. The first revealing study was published in March 2006 - Dealing for Development: the Dynamics of Diamond marketing and Pricing in Sierra Leone. Similar research will be undertaken in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
• Basic educational material for artisanal diggers; simple pamphlets on diamond valuation, with details on fair market prices, in French, English and local languages. These will be tested.
• Creating “best practices” guidelines with respect to working with artisanal miners- for local and international NGOs, bilateral and multilateral agencies, governments, exploration and mining firms and international diamond buyers.
• Produce practical, relevant standards and guidelines for companies and development organizations with an interest in engagement in areas where artisanal alluvial diamond mining takes place. The first set of guidelines has been produced for Sierra Leone and a similar study has been conducted in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The publication of Standards & Guidelines DRC is forthcoming.
• Research and remedial action on the use of child miners in the diamond fields. For more information on what DDII is doing to address child labour in diamond mining see the Tukudimuna Project.

DDII is currently undertaking the following projects:

Development Diamond Standards

Development Diamond Standards will set minimum performance standards in regards to social, economic, environmental, labour, trading and/or governance issues for operations in the developing countries. For more information about this project please click here.

Tukudimuna Project

DDII’s Tukudimuna Project seeks to prevent and remove children from working in the diamond mines in the Mbuji-Mayi region of DRC; to understand the dynamics and the political economy of child labour in artisanal diamond mining; and to find sustainable and replicable methodologies to end this practice. For more information about this project please click here.

DDII is currently partnering with organizations on the following projects:

ONE SKY: Institute for Sustainable Living
Life After Diamonds: Land Reclamation for Agriculture and Advocacy

Two land reclamations in Sierra Leone at the Bandefayie and Kainsey sites. These reclamations are a component of ONE SKY’s Life After Diamonds project. For more information about this project please click here.

Street Kids International
Youth-driven study in Sierra Leone

A youth driven study that seeks to find out the ambitions of and opportunities available to youth who work in the mining sector in Sierra Leone, and determine the present gaps which prevent them from reaching their goals. For more information about this project please click here.

Foundation for Environmental Security and Sustainability

Economic Diversification and Community Development in Artisanal Diamond Mining Communities in Sierra Leone. For more information about this project please click here.

ARD
Documentary Film

The production of a teaching film on the USAID-funded project entitled Property Rights and Artisanal Diamond Development (PRADD) in Central Africa Republic and Guinea. For more information about this project please click here.