The Kimberley Process

PostBy Avi Paz Group At 01.09.2010

In response to growing concern over illicit trade in conflict or "blood" diamonds, the United Nations General Assembly established the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme in 2003.

The Kimberley Process, or KP, is intended to keep conflict diamonds out of the diamond trade.  The KP monitors diamond production in diamond producing nations that suffer from civil unrest as well as the export and trade of diamonds from those countries.

The KPCS required that rough diamonds transferred across international borders be shipped in tamper-proof containers and with a Kimberley Process Certificated validated by the government. Each KPC must be forgery-resistant, describe the contents of the diamond shipment, and be labeled with a unique identifying number. KP-approved diamond shipments are only allowed to be exported to nations that participate in the KPCS.

Failure to comply with these requirements can result in a country's expulsion from the Kimberley Process, which can effectually cut off a diamond producer from selling conflict diamonds in the world's major diamond markets.

While many members of the international diamond trade argue that demanding Kimberley Process certification has cut the trade in conflict diamonds down to almost nothing, watchdog organizations maintain that trade in conflict diamonds persists and is even increasing.

Activists fighting the illegal diamond trade claim that no independent, third-party oversight is in place to ensure that the KP standards for certifying diamonds as conflict-free are actually enforced. Moreover, not all diamond-producing nations are members of the KP certification scheme or of the international bodies that govern the diamond trade.

Groups fighting conflict diamonds say they would like to see the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme overhauled and made more transparent, as well as subject to non-industry oversight.