De Beers’ diamond mining activities in Botswana have failed to generate benefits for communities in the areas where it operates, according to a hard-hitting report compiled by the Bench Marks Foundation. The report…focuses on…Debswana [joint venture De Beers, Govt of Botswana]. It describes this arrangement as a “marriage”, which…exists “at the expense of communities, human rights, the environment and sustainable local economic development”…De Beers…charges that the report “neither reflects our experience in Botswana nor the findings of numerous reputable independent studies by academics and bodies ranging from the UN Development Programme to the World Bank”.
See http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/819662.