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CONFLICT DIAMONDS UNDERSTANDING AND EVALUATING THE KIMBERLEY PROCESS CERTIFICATION SCHEME
WHAT IS THE KIMBERLEY PROCESS? The Kimberley Process Certification Scheme, introduced in 2003 in response tomounting international pressure, is a joint government, international diamond industry, and civil society initiative designed to stop the flow of conflict diamonds. In this voluntary system,participants are required to certify that shipments of rough diamonds are free of conflict diamonds. Though the Kimberley Process applies only to governments, the diamond industry agreed to create a System ofWarranties and to educate the public about conflict diamonds. South African diamond producing states first met in Kimberley, South Africa, in May of 2000 to discuss a solution to the growing problemof conflict diamonds, which, according to some estimates, accounted for 15% of rough diamond shipments at the time. In support of this effort, the United Nations General Assembly met in December of2000 and adopted a resolution on conflict diamonds which included the creation of an international certification scheme. PARTICIPANTS Forty-six countries and the European Union, or 99.8% of diamondtrading and producing regions, are members of the Kimberley Process, including Botswana, Angola, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Cote D’Ivoire, and the United States. To become a participant, acountry must meet the minimum requirements of the Kimberley Process, including passing legislation to enforce the Kimberley Process, creating control systems for the import and export of rough diamonds,and agreeing only to trade rough diamonds with other participants. HOW IT WORKS Participating governments must ensure that all rough diamond shipments be imported/exported in a secure containeraccompanied by a government validated certificate stating that the diamonds are conflict free. The certificates must be resistant to forgery and uniquely numbered to ensure authenticity. Also, rough...