IV 
108TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. CON. RES. 239
Expressing the sense of the Congress that the global diamond industry, 
as represented by the World Diamond Council, should provide transition 
development assistance to communities in Sierra Leone, Angola, and 
the Democratic Republic of Congo, where the illicit trade in conflict 
diamonds for arms fueled civil war, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JUNE 26, 2003
Ms. WATSON (for herself, Mr. LANTOS, and Mr. PAYNE) submitted the fol-
lowing concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on 
International Relations 
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 
Expressing the sense of the Congress that the global diamond 
industry, as represented by the World Diamond Council, 
should provide transition development assistance to com-
munities in Sierra Leone, Angola, and the Democratic 
Republic of Congo, where the illicit trade in conflict 
diamonds for arms fueled civil war, and for other pur-
poses.
Whereas during the past decade, civil wars in Sierra Leone, 
Angola, and the Democratic Republic of Congo, fueled by 
the trade in ‘‘conflict diamonds’’ for arms and waged in 
large part for control of diamond mining areas, have 
killed approximately 3,700,000 people and driven more
•HCON 239 IH 
than 6,500,000 people from their homes, communities, 
workplaces, and schools; 
Whereas the practice of maiming and mutilating civilians, in-
cluding children, inflicted permanent injury, leaving them 
permanently disabled and less able to maintain a liveli-
hood for themselves and their families; 
Whereas an estimated 27,000 young boys were conscripted as 
child soldiers to serve in combat and combat-support 
roles in those civil wars, and unknown numbers of girls 
were forced into combat-related sex slavery and domestic 
labor in those wars; 
Whereas rape was used as a weapon of war, a tactic of ter-
ror, and an act of revenge against scores of women and 
girls who continue to suffer physically, socially, and psy-
chologically, and recovery from these traumas is a matter 
of importance on individual, familial, and community lev-
els; 
Whereas the rise of HIV prevalence in Sierra Leone, Angola, 
and the Democratic Republic of Congo can be attributed 
in large part to the wars that caused the massive dis-
placement of people and the disruption of social, eco-
nomic, and governance systems and the increased vulner-
ability among people, particularly women and girls; 
Whereas according to the United Nations, ‘‘conflict dia-
monds’’ are diamonds that originate from areas con-
trolled by forces or factions opposed to legitimate and 
internationally recognized governments, and are used to 
fund military action in opposition to those governments; 
Whereas humanitarian and human rights groups and other 
nongovernmental organizations have documented that 
conflict diamonds have been used by armed groups and
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terrorist organizations to purchase weapons to sustain 
campaigns of human rights abuses against civilians; 
Whereas over the past decade, United Nations peacekeeping 
efforts in Sierra Leone and the Democratic Republic of 
Congo have cost the international community an esti-
mated $675,000,000; 
Whereas the United Nations Security Council, in Security 
Council Resolutions 1173 of June 12, 1998, and 1176 of 
June 24, 1998, passed measures imposing sanctions 
against UNITA in Angola and the Revolutionary United 
Front in Sierra Leone that target the specific link be-
tween the trade in conflict diamonds and the supply to 
rebel movements of weapons, fuel, and other prohibited 
materiel; 
Whereas in the year 2000, the estimated value of rough dia-
monds exported from Africa was $7,000,000,000, and the 
estimated value of polished diamonds and diamond jew-
elry exported from countries that imported the rough dia-
monds from Africa was close to $50,000,000,000; 
Whereas it is estimated that, in the year 2000, between 4 
percent and 15 percent of rough diamonds exported from 
Africa were conflict diamonds with an estimated value of 
$280,000,000 to $1,050,000,000, and the estimated 
value of polished diamonds and diamond jewelry derived 
from 
conflict 
diamonds 
was 
$2,000,000,000 
to 
$7,500,000,000; 
Whereas the global diamond industry profited substantially 
from the trade in illicit conflict diamonds; 
Whereas the global diamond industry as represented by the 
World Diamond Council has worked with the United Na-
tions, governments, and nongovernmental organizations
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in the design of the Kimberley Process to develop a dia-
mond certification system to distinguish between legiti-
mate and conflict diamonds and thereby stem the trade 
in conflict diamonds; 
Whereas the success of the Kimberley Process is dependent 
upon the development and implementation of a trans-
parent and auditable chain of warranty system for the in-
dustry and the use of highly skilled and knowledgeable 
experts to monitor routinely all participants in the Kim-
berley Process in accordance with uniformly established 
procedures; and 
Whereas the United States Congress supports the efforts and 
activities of the War Affected Amputee Association 
(WAAA) of Sierra Leone and individuals, organizations, 
and other entities seeking compensation for victims of 
atrocities in civil wars fought in Sierra Leone, Angola, 
and the Democratic Republic of Congo: Now, therefore, 
be it
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate 
concurring), That this concurrent resolution may be cited 
as the ‘‘Conflict Diamonds Resolution’’. 
SEC. 2. It is the sense of the Congress that—
(1) the global diamond industry, as represented 
by the World Diamond Council—
(A) should establish a fund—
(i) to support demobilization centers 
and rehabilitation training programs, in-
cluding 
trauma 
counseling, 
for 
excombatants in the civil wars in Sierra
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Leone, Angola, and the Democratic Repub-
lic of Congo, particularly child soldiers; 
(ii) to support programs to provide 
psychological counseling, health care treat-
ment, education, training, and other needs 
of women and girls victimized in those civil 
wars by rape, forced domestic servitude, 
and other gender-related abuses; 
(iii) to help strengthen governmental 
and nongovernmental health care infra-
structure to support HIV/AIDS programs 
that provide voluntary testing and coun-
seling, education, prevention, treatment, 
and hospice care in Sierra Leone, Angola, 
and the Democratic Republic of Congo; 
(iv) to support economic development 
and civil society-building programs in those 
countries, particularly the promotion of en-
trepreneurship, including access to micro-
finance to establish rural and urban micro-
enterprise activities; 
(v) to support efforts to rebuild 
schools, health clinics, training centers, 
and other efforts to reconstruct the local 
economies of those countries, including ag-
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diamonds, and to operate in a more transparent 
manner in true partnership with host countries; 
(D) should support the activities of all rec-
onciliation processes, including the Truth and 
Reconciliation Commission of Sierra Leone, 
that will play a critical role in healing the 
wounds of war in Sierra Leone, Angola, and the 
Democratic Republic of Congo, and to reinforce 
a just and lasting peace in those countries by 
promoting respect for the dignity and human 
rights of all citizens; and 
(E) should encourage the World Diamond 
Council to develop and implement a comprehen-
sive, reliable, standardized, and auditable chain 
of warranty system to support the Kimberley 
Process; 
(2) the Secretary of State should make every 
effort to assist the World Diamond Council in estab-
lishing and administering the fund described in 
paragraph (1)(A); and 
(3) not later than 6 months after the adoption 
of this resolution, the Secretary of State should re-
port to the appropriate congressional committees 
on—
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(A) the actions of the World Diamond 
Council in developing and implementing the 
Kimberley Process; 
(B) the progress made by the World Dia-
mond Council toward addressing the goals and 
objectives set forth in this resolution; and 
(C) the efforts of the Secretary of State to 
assist the World Diamond Council in estab-
lishing the fund described in paragraph (1)(A) 
and implementing the Kimberley Process.
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