[WHO WE ARE]
Diamonds for Peace (DFP)
Earth Plaza, 1-2-1, Kosugaya, Sakae-ku, Yokohama City, Kanagawa, 247-0007 Japan
Diamonds for Peace Liberia (DFPL)
Francis Lewis Estate, Kakata, Margibi County, Liberia
[Vision]
A world in which diamonds are mined, cut and processed with humanitarian and environmental considerations
[Mission]
1. To improve the working conditions and social status of the workers in the diamond supply chain.
2. To promote ethics and fairness in the diamond industry
[What We Do]
1. Awareness-Raising:
Raise awareness of the issues in the diamond industry
2. Self-Reliance Support:
Provide support to improve the working conditions and social status of artisanal diamond workers in developing countries, especially in Africa
3. Emergency Assistance:
Provide assistance in the event of disasters or epidemics in the targeted countries
[Where We Work]
Liberia, Japan (as of April 2023)
[DFP Board & Founding Team]
Chie Murakami, Founder & Executive Director
Maki Yamagishi, Director
Tomone Kawai, Board Member
Kenji Tanaka, Board Member
Ikuo Shibuya, Board Member
Chiho Yukiwaki, Auditor-Secretary
[History]
| May 2014 | Started as a voluntary group. Field trip to Liberia to observe the situation of the artisanal diamond mining. |
| October 2014 – July 2015 | Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) Response Activities in Liberia |
| March 2015 | Diamonds for Peace was officially registered as Non Profit Organization in Yokohama City under NPO law in Japan |
| October 2016 | Diamonds for Peace Liberia was officially registered as NPO in Liberia under Liberian law |
| April 2017 | Diamonds for Peace Liberia was accredited as national NGO in Liberia |
| April 2019 | Diamonds for Peace became a member of Civil Society Network for OECD Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Supply Chains of Minerals from Conflict-Affected and High-Risk Areas |
| June 2019 | Diamonds for Peace has obtained the special consultative status to the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). https://esango.un.org/civilsociety/consultativeStatusSummary.do?profileCode=661731 |
| April 2020 | Diamonds for Peace has signed an agreement on the fiscal sponsorship with Empowerment WORKS, a 501c3 nonprofit organization in the United States of America. |
| December 2020 | Diamonds for Peace Liberia signed a MOU with Cooperative Development Agency (CDA) in Liberia for collaboration. |
[Awards]
| April 2023 | The Environmental Restoration and Conservation Agency of Japan (ERCA) Japan Fund for Global Environment (JFGE) “Project for establishing a model balancing the environmental protection and income enhancement in the artisanal diamond mining communities in Liberia” (second year) |
| April 2022 | The Environmental Restoration and Conservation Agency of Japan (ERCA) Japan Fund for Global Environment (JFGE) “Project for establishing a model balancing the environmental protection and income enhancement in the artisanal diamond mining communities in Liberia” (first year) |
| January 2022 | The World Bank EGPS-2 Emergency Response Grant for Artisanal Mining Communities Impacted by COVID-19 “Basic training on rough diamond grading and valuation in Liberia” in partnership with Empowerment Works. |
| May 2021 | The Environmental Restoration and Conservation Agency of Japan (ERCA) Japan Fund for Global Environment (JFGE) “Laying a foundation for environmental protection activities in an artisanal diamond mining community” |
| April 2021 | Toyo Tire Group Environmental Protection Fund “Developing a model to increase the income of the artisanal diamond miners by protecting the natural environment (second year)” |
| January 2021 | The Africa Society in Japan Charity Trust Supporting Africa “Strengthening the Skills Necessary to Manage Cooperative and Associated Projects” |
| December 2020 | The World Bank EGPS-2 Emergency Response Grant for Artisanal Mining Communities Impacted by COVID-19 “Maintaining the Resilience of Artisanal Diamond Mining Communities in Liberia” in partnership with Empowerment Works. |
| April 2020 | Toyo Tire Group Environmental Protection Fund “Developing a model to increase the income of the artisanal diamond miners by protecting the natural environment” |
| December 2019 | Panasonic Support Fund for Africa 2019 “Strengthening the online & offline publicity to increase the supporters in the U.S. and Europe” |
| February 2019 | Japan International Cooperation System “Developing publicity tools and conducting the essay contest on the short documentary movie” |
| December 2018 | Panasonic Support Fund for Africa 2018 “Strengthening offline publicity to turn the potential supporters into active supporters” |
| July 2018 | The Body Shop Nippon Fund “Developing the team building training to improve the organization skills of the artisanal diamond miners and diggers” |
| December 2017 | Panasonic Support Fund for Africa 2017 “Re-building the English website and improving the contents to reach out to potential supporters in the U.S. and Europe” |
| April 2017 | Yokohama City Dream Fund ”Strengthening the organizational foundation and publicity to increase funding” |
| July 2016 | LUSH Japan Charity Bank “Conducting the situation analysis of the artisanal diamond mining in the western region of Liberia” |
[Brief Biographies of Board Members]
Chie Murakami, Founder & Executive Director
M.A. International Development Studies: The George Washington University, USA
B.A. Business Management: Gakushuin University, Japan
After getting Master’s degree, Chie worked on the research in Haiti, and worked for Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) Laos Office coordinating programs/projects. She came back to Japan to develop her skills in the private business sector, believing its perspective would be more important in the field of international development.
After working for an advertising agency and business consulting firm and running her own small business in Japan, she came back to the field of international development. She was engaged in JICA project to strengthen the management capacity of the managers at the Ministry of Health in Kenya.
She got engaged and married prior to living in Kenya. She became interested in diamonds and did a small research expecting to find stories full of love and happiness. She was shocked to find the perverse information such as diamonds being the source of conflicts, and human rights violation. She had thought about what she could do to help improve the situation while she was in Kenya and thought the fair trade principles may be applied to diamonds. After completing her work there, she visited Sierra Leone in 2012 and then Liberia in 2014 and decided to found Diamonds for Peace and work in Liberia.
Maki Yamagishi, Director
MBA: GLOBIS University, Japan
Master of Agriculture, Graduate School of Agriculture: Kyoto University, Japan
B.A. Agriculture: Kyoto University, Japan
After graduating from university, Maki has been engaged in international cooperation projects by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) in conflict affected areas such as Philippines, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Sri Lanka and other countries to achieve stability through economic development.
Maki believes that the fair distribution of wealth along the global supply chain is one of the keys to achieving stability and peace, which Diamonds for Peace strives for. She has been involved in the activities of Diamonds for Peace since 2020.
Ikuo Shibuya, Board Member
Technical Associate in Architecture: Omiya Polytecnic School.
He worked for housing construction companies for about 20 years as a wooden construction carpenter, and then was engaged in management and site operations for a resource development company.
He worked with local field staff at a gold mining corporation for 8 months in Liberia in 2011. He also worked with local staff in jungles and deserts in Sudan for 3 years as a field manager.
He is currently involved in a project on an energy development project in Japan.
Tomone Kawai, Board Member
B.A. in Law, specializing in International Law and Business: Chuo University, Japan
After graduating from university, Tomone worked at a Japanese non-profit organization for 8 years where she managed grant making programs for Japanese NPOs and philanthropic projects cooperating with Japanese and international corporations and foundations. Tomone was also engaged in several activities regarding global health and human security issues. She has three children. She is a founding member of DFP.
Kenji Tanaka, Board Member
Certified Tax Accountant
B.A. in Law: Meiji University, Japan.
After graduating from university, Kenji worked at the accounting department for a food processing company, and then for a tax accounting corporation with various clients including public benefit corporations.
Kenji decided to start his own tax accounting office and currently supports not only private companies but also social entrepreneurs and non-profit organizations.He also founded and operates a youth camp in Karuizawa, Nagano prefecture in Japan, to foster children’s zest for living through activities in nature.
[Sustainable Development Goals that Diamonds for Peace Strives for]
Please see below for the global goals that DFP is working on.
 Goal 1: End poverty in all its forms everywhere
DFP provides assistance to artisanal diamond miners and diggers, upstream actors in the supply chain of diamonds, in order to bring them up out of poverty and help them become self-reliant. |
 Goal 5: Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls
DFP promotes gender equality by encouraging the cooperative to increase the number of female members and by involving more women in DFP’s activities. |
 Goal 6: Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all
DFP cooperates with the mining communities to set up wells to supply clean water as well as install public toilets. |
 Goal 8: Promote sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment, and decent work for all
DFP provides assistance to diamond-producing countries, especially in Africa, to achieve sustainable economic growth. DFP also promotes decent work for artisanal diamond miners and diggers. |
 Goal 10: Reduce inequality within and among countries
DFP is engaged in reducing inequality among diamond supply chain actors. |
 Goal 12: Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns
DFP develops a mechanism in which diamond purchases will not hurt diamond supply chain actors, and in which the mining, cutting/polishing, and manufacturing of diamonds will be done in a responsible manner. |
 Goal 15: Protect, restore, and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests and combat desertification, halt and reverse land degradation, and halt biodiversity loss.
DFP promotes afforestation in the areas where they work in Liberia, so that forests can absorb more greenhouse gases. |
 Goal 17: Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the global partnership for sustainable development.
DFP shall endeavor to achieve the above goals together with such partners as the concerned government agencies, public charity groups, non-governmental actors, educational institutions etc. |
※The citation for the SDGs is at the following
https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/topics/sustainabledevelopmentgoals