Supporting the Voluntary Principles in Angola
British Ambassador, John Dennis met NGO Search for Common Ground to discuss their work on implementing the Voluntary Principles in Angola.
Voluntary Principles 2016
The British Ambassador, John Dennis met representatives from Search for Common Ground and local NGO AJUDECA to discuss their work in helping to raise awareness of the Voluntary Principles of Security and Human Rights (VPs) in Angola. Established in 2000, the Voluntary Principles are a set of guidelines designed specifically to help extractive sector companies maintain the safety and security of their operations within an operating framework that encourages respect for human rights.
The Ambassador also signed a project contract on the Voluntary Principles with Search for Common Ground that will help foster greater commitment from across Angola to implement the Voluntary Principles (VPs), thereby ensuring that importers and consumers (including in UK) are not complicit in human rights abuses. This will demonstrate the UK’s continual commitment to continuing efforts of the Angolan Government to support a clean diamond industry in Angola.
The project will contribute to the establishment of a National Steering Committee and a series of workshops that will help to drive forward the implementation of the Voluntary Principles.
The British Ambassador in Angola John Dennis said “we support this project to help the commitment of the Government of Angola to implement the Voluntary Principles in the country. This is a good example of how our collaboration with Angola will continue, long after the United Kingdom’s Chairmanship of the Voluntary Principles has finished.”