Property Rights and Artisanal Diamond Development Project (PRADD) COP Attends Kimberley Process Certification Scheme

The PRRGP chief of party, Mark Freudenberger, attended the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme (KPCS) in Tel Aviv, Israel from June 21-24, 2010.
Property Rights and Artisanal Diamond Development Project (PRADD) COP Attends Kimberley Process Certification Scheme
The PRRGP chief of party, Mark Freudenberger, attended the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme (KPCS) in Tel Aviv, Israel from June 21-24, 2010. The PRADD project actively participated in plenary and inter-sessional meetings and contributed financially through a contract with Partnership Africa Canada to provide field based information to the Enforcement Seminar held on June 24th. Over 50 participants from the KP family participated inthis innovative workshop attended by international law enforcement agencies and the KPCS representatives of government, civil society, and the diamond mining industry. Informational presentations spelled out the nature of international smuggling in diamonds and enforcement issues confronting the Kimberley Process. Participants from West Africa held a two hour session on enforcement issues specific to the Mono River Union countries of Cote d’Ivoire, Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone. PRADD financed in addition the participation of 3 delegates from customs and enforcement from Vietnam, Burkina Faso, and Liberia.
In advance of the meetings in Tel Aviv, and with financial support from Partnership Africa Canada (PAC), PRADD held a series of preparatory national level stakeholder meetings in Guinea, Côte d’Ivoire, Sierra Leone, and Liberia. The KPCS tripartite representatives from government, civil society, and the diamond industry in each country held in-depth discussions on the causes and consequences of smuggling and other illicit activities around artisanal diamond production. PRADD Liberia contributed to the costs of site visits to three mining areas led by the Ministry of Lands, Mines, and Energy. Over 500 diamond miners and other stakeholders contributed very actively to these informational meetings.