Diamond Development Initiative

Transforming the informal diamond mining sector

In 2020, RESOLVE and the Diamond Development Initiative (DDI) joined forces in a program merger to bolster capacity to support responsible sourcing of artisanally mined diamonds and to broaden scope to include, among others, gold, cobalt and "the three Ts" (tin, tantalum, and tungsten). The integration of programs is an impact multiplier, bringing together more than fifty years of combined experience in conflict prevention and resolution, poverty reduction, biodiversity protection, supply chain due diligence, and ethical products. With this merger, the newly formed DDI@RESOLVE program will continue to work diligently with industry, government, and civil society to realize the promise of responsibly sourced artisanal diamonds and other minerals, free from conflict and human rights violations and in support of economic development.

DDI@RESOLVE works to transform artisanal and small-scale mining by bringing this largely unregulated, informal sector into the formal economy in ways that benefit miners, their communities, regional and national economies, and the diamond and jewelry industry. We seek a world where artisanal and small-scale miners, communities, and governments realize the benefits of legitimate minerals trade through formalization and compliance with human rights, social, and environmental standards leading to better economic and environmental outcomes. Markets recognize this progress, creating incentives for better performance to match improved policy.

DDI@RESOLVE created and applied the Maendeleo Diamond Standards, the first-ever set of standards for ethical artisanal diamond production and supply chain security. The standard supports more formal, efficient, and environmentally responsible approaches. DDI@RESOLVE’s land reclamation work in Sierra Leone is setting new standards for environmental remediation and supporting livelihoods in communities long subject to poverty and resource-based conflict. Current priorities include:

• reconciliation for communities affected by conflict;
• restoration to heal the land, improve health and safety, and support alternative livelihoods; and
• responsible sourcing to ensure artisanal diamond miners have a path out of poverty, and consumers gain confidence that human rights and social and environmental standards are embedded in jewelry.

Watch this video to learn more about the promise of artisanal diamonds: