The Diamond Development Initiative (DDI) yesterday announced the launch of the Maendeleo Diamond Standards™ (MDS) as a certification system for all miners engaged in artisanal and small-scale diamond mining (ASDM) operations, saying that the adoption of these standards and best practices will give consumers the assurance that these are ethical diamonds.

The Maendeleo Diamond Standards™ are made of eight specific principles covering legality, consent and community engagement, human and worker's rights, health and safety, violence-free operations, environmental management, interactions with large-scale mining and site closure. Each of these principles is comprised of provisions defined by measurable requirements, concrete performance criteria and a list of acceptable audit evidence.

Created by the DDI, the MDS were adopted after extensive consultation with a wide range of stakeholders, including governments, industry, local civil society organizations, as well as artisanal and small-scale diamond miners in four countries of Africa and South America. DDI then conducted pilot projects in Sierra Leone in 2012 and 2013 to field-test the system, and in 2014 the pilot was expanded into a full program.

The standards have received broad acceptance in Sierra Leone, and are now being extended throughout the ADSM sector, DDI said. The organisation has also released an MDS Manual to enable wider implementation.

"Standards provide credible assurances to consumers and they are long overdue for the Artisanal and Small scale Diamond Mining (ASDM) sector," said DDI Executive Director Dorothee Gizenga. "MDS enables commercial entities to ethically source diamonds from artisanal and small-scale operations, while also supporting miners and their communities to ensure their inclusion in a broader system of responsible supply chains."

Diamonds mined by artisanal and small-scale operations represent almost 20% of the global industry's annual output by volume. However, artisanal miners typically earn less than $2 a day. They often work illegally and under terrible conditions; violence and child labour are common, and environmental damage is endemic.

"Artisanally mined diamonds are major sources of livelihoods for more than 1.5 million miners working in 18 countries in Africa and South America, supporting as many as 10 million family members," added Gizenga.

Maendeleo is a Swahili word meaning "development", and Maendeleo diamonds are artisanally mined in conflict-free zones and produced safely in consenting and engaged communities, through violence-free operations with respect for human and worker rights using practices that promote environmental responsibility. Rough diamonds mined according to the Maendeleo Diamond Standards are certified by DDI as Maendeleo Diamonds. The MDS certification is voluntary and aims to unlock the development potential of ASDM, through a pragmatic certification process that enables progressive improvement over time.

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