The Kimberley Process

The Kimberley Process is a joint government, international diamond industry scheme to stop the flow of conflict diamonds which are used by rebel organizations to finance wars against legitimate governments. The trade in these illegal stones has contributed to disturbing conflicts in countries such as Angola, Cote d'Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Sierra Leone.

The Kimberley Process Certification Scheme is innovative, voluntary system that forces wide requirements on participants to certify that the shipments of rough diamonds are free from conflict diamonds. The Kimberley Process is composed of 52 participants. Kimberley Process Participants account for approximately 99.8% of the global production of rough diamonds. 52 governments approved and adopted the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme, which was established in August 2003.

Countries that participate must pass legislation to enforce the Kimberley Process. They must also set up control systems for the import and export of rough diamonds. Participants are only allowed to trade rough diamonds with other participants. The purpose is to prevent blood diamonds from entering the Kimberley Process system. The Kimberley Process governments and observers meet once a year to discuss the scheme.

Although the Kimberley Process has been established, blood diamonds still exist. Although the scheme makes it more difficult for diamonds from rebel controlled areas to reach international markets, there are still significant weaknesses in the scheme that undermine its effectiveness and allow the trade in blood diamonds to continue. A United Nations Group of Experts in Cote d'Ivoire has recently found that poor controls are allowing significant volumes of blood diamonds to enter the trade through Ghana, where they are being certified as conflict free stones. Hopefully this more countries will support this system and stop conflict diamonds from being trade throughout the world (http://www.globalwitness.org/pages/en/the_kimberley_process.html).