United Nations Security Council Resolution 1306
Encyclopedia
United Nations
Security Council Resolution
1306, adopted on July 5, 2000, after recalling all previous resolutions on the situation in Sierra Leone
, particularly resolutions 1132
(1997), 1171
(1998) and 1299
(2000), the Council decided to prohibit the direct or indirect import of rough diamond
s from the country. The rebel Revolutionary United Front
controlled 90% of the diamond-producing areas in Sierra Leone and was using diamonds to finance its operations.
Resolution 1306 was adopted by 14 votes to none against and one abstention
from Mali
, which at the time was also the chair of the Economic Community of West African States
(ECOWAS) and had felt its position was not taken into account in the text of the resolution.
, was divided into two parts to address sanctions on diamonds and the arms embargo
on the country (but not the government) referred to in Resolution 1171.
. The Council welcomed efforts by the diamond industry to work on a more transparent system of diamond trading. It reaffirmed that the legitimate diamond trade was of economic importance for many countries that had a positive impact on prosperity and stability. To this end, the resolution was not intended to undermine the industry, the Council declared. ECOWAS had decided to conduct a regional study on illegal trade in diamonds.
and organisations, was requested to immediately establish a certificate of origin
regime. Diamonds under the control of the government were excluded from the prohibitions. The measures would be reviewed by September 15, 2000 and every six months thereafter.
The Committee established in Resolution 1132 was to gather information on measures taken by countries to implement the diamond import ban, investigation violations and make recommendations on improving the sanctions regime. All countries and organisations were instructed to strictly enforce the measures. It was also requested to co-operate with similar committees established in Resolution 985
(1995) on Liberia and Resolution 864
(1993) on Angola
. Meanwhile, the Committee was also asked to conduct an exploratory hearing in New York City
by July 31, 2000 to assess the role of diamonds in the civil war in Sierra Leone
.
Finally, the Council welcomed efforts by the some elements of the diamond industry to not trade diamonds in conflict zones
, and stressed the need for the extension of government authority in areas that produced diamonds for a durable solution to the illegal exploitation of diamonds.
imposed on the import, export and manufacture of light weapons in West Africa
.
and they were asked to report violations to the Committee of the Security Council. The Secretary-General Kofi Annan
was requested to establish a panel of no more than five members for a period of four months to investigate violations of measures imposed in Resolution 1171 (a travel ban was also in effect) and make recommendations on the effectiveness of air control for the purpose of detecting aircraft flights suspected of carrying arms and related materiel
in violation of resolutions. It was also asked to investigate links between the diamond sector and arms trade.
The resolution concluded by directng the Committee to improve contacts with ECOWAS, the Organisation of African Unity and international organisations such as Interpol
with a view to publicising its findings through appropriate media.
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
Security Council Resolution
United Nations Security Council Resolution
A United Nations Security Council resolution is a UN resolution adopted by the fifteen members of the Security Council; the UN body charged with "primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security"....
1306, adopted on July 5, 2000, after recalling all previous resolutions on the situation in Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone , officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Guinea to the north and east, Liberia to the southeast, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west and southwest. Sierra Leone covers a total area of and has an estimated population between 5.4 and 6.4...
, particularly resolutions 1132
United Nations Security Council Resolution 1132
United Nations Security Council Resolution 1132, adopted unanimously on October 8, 1997, after expressing concern at the situation in Sierra Leone, the Council, acting under Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter, imposed an oil and arms embargo on the country.-Background:A series of military...
(1997), 1171
United Nations Security Council Resolution 1171
United Nations Security Council Resolution 1171, adopted unanimously on June 5, 1998, after recalling resolutions 1132 , 1156 and 1162 on the situation in Sierra Leone, the Council, acting under Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter, terminated the arms embargo against the Government of...
(1998) and 1299
United Nations Security Council Resolution 1299
United Nations Security Council Resolution 1299, adopted unanimously on May 19, 2000, after recalling all previous resolutions on the situation in Sierra Leone, the Council expanded the military component of the United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone to include a maximum of 13,000 personnel.Having...
(2000), the Council decided to prohibit the direct or indirect import of rough diamond
Diamond
In mineralogy, diamond is an allotrope of carbon, where the carbon atoms are arranged in a variation of the face-centered cubic crystal structure called a diamond lattice. Diamond is less stable than graphite, but the conversion rate from diamond to graphite is negligible at ambient conditions...
s from the country. The rebel Revolutionary United Front
Revolutionary United Front
The Revolutionary United Front was a rebel army that fought a failed eleven-year war in Sierra Leone, starting in 1991 and ending in 2002. It later developed into a political party, which existed until 2007...
controlled 90% of the diamond-producing areas in Sierra Leone and was using diamonds to finance its operations.
Resolution 1306 was adopted by 14 votes to none against and one abstention
Abstention
Abstention is a term in election procedure for when a participant in a vote either does not go to vote or, in parliamentary procedure, is present during the vote, but does not cast a ballot. Abstention must be contrasted with "blank vote", in which a voter casts a ballot willfully made invalid by...
from Mali
Mali
Mali , officially the Republic of Mali , is a landlocked country in Western Africa. Mali borders Algeria on the north, Niger on the east, Burkina Faso and the Côte d'Ivoire on the south, Guinea on the south-west, and Senegal and Mauritania on the west. Its size is just over 1,240,000 km² with...
, which at the time was also the chair of the Economic Community of West African States
Economic Community of West African States
The Economic Community of West African States is a regional group of fifteen West African countries. Founded on 28 May 1975, with the signing of the Treaty of Lagos, its mission is to promote economic integration across the region....
(ECOWAS) and had felt its position was not taken into account in the text of the resolution.
Resolution
The resolution, enacted under Chapter VII of the United Nations CharterChapter VII of the United Nations Charter
Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter sets out the UN Security Council's powers to maintain peace. It allows the Council to "determine the existence of any threat to the peace, breach of the peace, or act of aggression" and to take military and nonmilitary action to "restore international peace...
, was divided into two parts to address sanctions on diamonds and the arms embargo
Arms embargo
An arms embargo is an embargo that applies to weaponry. It may also include "dual use" items. An arms embargo may serve one or more purposes:# to signal disapproval of behavior by a certain actor,# to maintain neutral standing in an ongoing conflict, or...
on the country (but not the government) referred to in Resolution 1171.
Observations
The illegal diamond trade fueled the conflict in Sierra Leone, and there was concern at their transit to neighbouring countries, particularly LiberiaLiberia
Liberia , officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Sierra Leone on the west, Guinea on the north and Côte d'Ivoire on the east. Liberia's coastline is composed of mostly mangrove forests while the more sparsely populated inland consists of forests that open...
. The Council welcomed efforts by the diamond industry to work on a more transparent system of diamond trading. It reaffirmed that the legitimate diamond trade was of economic importance for many countries that had a positive impact on prosperity and stability. To this end, the resolution was not intended to undermine the industry, the Council declared. ECOWAS had decided to conduct a regional study on illegal trade in diamonds.
Acts
The Council decided to ban the direct or indirect import of all rough diamonds from Sierra Leone to their territory for an initial period of 18 months. The Government of Sierra Leone, with assistance from the international communityInternational community
The international community is a term used in international relations to refer to all peoples, cultures and governments of the world or to a group of them. The term is used to imply the existence of common duties and obligations between them...
and organisations, was requested to immediately establish a certificate of origin
Certificate of origin
A Certificate of Origin is a document used in international trade. It traditionally states from what country the shipped goods originate, but "originate" in a CO does not mean the country the goods are shipped from, but the country where the goodtion problem in cases where less than 100% of the...
regime. Diamonds under the control of the government were excluded from the prohibitions. The measures would be reviewed by September 15, 2000 and every six months thereafter.
The Committee established in Resolution 1132 was to gather information on measures taken by countries to implement the diamond import ban, investigation violations and make recommendations on improving the sanctions regime. All countries and organisations were instructed to strictly enforce the measures. It was also requested to co-operate with similar committees established in Resolution 985
United Nations Security Council Resolution 985
United Nations Security Council Resolution 985, adopted unanimously on April 13, 1995, after reaffirming resolutions 813 , 856 , 866 , 911 , 950 and 972 , and 788 which imposed an arms embargo on Liberia, the Council established a Committee to monitor the implementation of the embargo and...
(1995) on Liberia and Resolution 864
United Nations Security Council Resolution 864
United Nations Security Council Resolution 864, adopted unanimously on September 15, 1993, after reaffirming resolutions 696 , 747 , 785 , 793 , 804 , 811 , 823 , 834 and 851 , the Council noted the continuing situation in Angola and went on to condemn and place international sanctions on...
(1993) on Angola
Angola
Angola, officially the Republic of Angola , is a country in south-central Africa bordered by Namibia on the south, the Democratic Republic of the Congo on the north, and Zambia on the east; its west coast is on the Atlantic Ocean with Luanda as its capital city...
. Meanwhile, the Committee was also asked to conduct an exploratory hearing in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
by July 31, 2000 to assess the role of diamonds in the civil war in Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone Civil War
The Sierra Leone Civil War began on 23 March 1991 when the Revolutionary United Front , with support from the special forces of Charles Taylor’s National Patriotic Front of Liberia , intervened in Sierra Leone in an attempt to overthrow the Joseph Momoh government...
.
Finally, the Council welcomed efforts by the some elements of the diamond industry to not trade diamonds in conflict zones
War
War is a state of organized, armed, and often prolonged conflict carried on between states, nations, or other parties typified by extreme aggression, social disruption, and usually high mortality. War should be understood as an actual, intentional and widespread armed conflict between political...
, and stressed the need for the extension of government authority in areas that produced diamonds for a durable solution to the illegal exploitation of diamonds.
Observations
The resolution stressed that it was important that measures relating to the arms embargo in Resolution 1171 were implemented effectively with the compliance of all states. ECOWAS had adopted a moratoriumMoratorium (law)
A moratorium is a delay or suspension of an activity or a law. In a legal context, it may refer to the temporary suspension of a law to allow a legal challenge to be carried out....
imposed on the import, export and manufacture of light weapons in West Africa
West Africa
West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of the African continent. Geopolitically, the UN definition of Western Africa includes the following 16 countries and an area of approximately 5 million square km:-Flags of West Africa:...
.
Acts
All countries were reminded of their obligations under the embargoEmbargo
An embargo is the partial or complete prohibition of commerce and trade with a particular country, in order to isolate it. Embargoes are considered strong diplomatic measures imposed in an effort, by the imposing country, to elicit a given national-interest result from the country on which it is...
and they were asked to report violations to the Committee of the Security Council. The Secretary-General Kofi Annan
Kofi Annan
Kofi Atta Annan is a Ghanaian diplomat who served as the seventh Secretary-General of the UN from 1 January 1997 to 31 December 2006...
was requested to establish a panel of no more than five members for a period of four months to investigate violations of measures imposed in Resolution 1171 (a travel ban was also in effect) and make recommendations on the effectiveness of air control for the purpose of detecting aircraft flights suspected of carrying arms and related materiel
Materiel
Materiel is a term used in English to refer to the equipment and supplies in military and commercial supply chain management....
in violation of resolutions. It was also asked to investigate links between the diamond sector and arms trade.
The resolution concluded by directng the Committee to improve contacts with ECOWAS, the Organisation of African Unity and international organisations such as Interpol
Interpol
Interpol, whose full name is the International Criminal Police Organization – INTERPOL, is an organization facilitating international police cooperation...
with a view to publicising its findings through appropriate media.
See also
- Blood diamond
- Kimberley Process Certification Scheme
- List of United Nations Security Council Resolutions 1301 to 1400 (2000 – 2002)
- Lomé Peace AccordLomé Peace AccordThe Lomé Peace Accord was a peace agreement signed on 7 July 1999 between the warring parties in the civil war that gripped Sierra Leone for almost a decade. President Ahmad Tejan Kabbah signed with the Revolutionary United Front leader, Foday Sankoh, granting Sankoh a position in the...
- Revolutionary United FrontRevolutionary United FrontThe Revolutionary United Front was a rebel army that fought a failed eleven-year war in Sierra Leone, starting in 1991 and ending in 2002. It later developed into a political party, which existed until 2007...
- Sierra Leone Civil WarSierra Leone Civil WarThe Sierra Leone Civil War began on 23 March 1991 when the Revolutionary United Front , with support from the special forces of Charles Taylor’s National Patriotic Front of Liberia , intervened in Sierra Leone in an attempt to overthrow the Joseph Momoh government...