What is the Kimberley Process

What is the kimberley Process?
The Kimberley Process was established in 2003 by the United Nations to prevent “conflict diamonds” from entering the mainstream rough diamond market. The process started in May of 2000, when South African diamond producing states met in Kimberley, South Africa to discuss ways to stop the trade of conflict diamonds and to ensure that diamond purchase did not finance rebel violence undermining legitimate governments.

In December of 2000 the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution supporting the creation of an international certification system for rough diamonds. Negotiations began in 2002 between governments, the international diamond industry and civil society organizations. This resulted in the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme (KPCS), which began being enforced by participating countries in 2003.

To earn a Kimberley Process Certification, there are minimum requirements that a nation must meet. They must put in place, certain legislation and institutions, they must be completely transparent and supply statistical data, as well as placing certain controls on import, export and internally. All international shipments of diamonds must come with a KP Certificate guaranteeing they are conflict free.

The diamond industry organizations and their members have adopted the following principles of self-regulation:

  • to trade only with companies that include warranty declarations on their invoices;
  • to not buy diamonds from suspect sources or unknown suppliers, or which originate in countries that have not implemented the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme;
  • to not buy diamonds from any sources that, after a legally binding due process system, have been found to have violated government regulations restricting the trade in conflict diamonds;
  • to not buy diamonds in or from any region that is subject to an advisory by a governmental authority indicating that conflict diamonds are emanating from or available for sale in such region, unless diamonds have been exported from such region in compliance with the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme;
  • to not knowingly buy or sell or assist others to buy or sell conflict diamonds;
  • to ensure that all company employees that buy or sell diamonds within the diamond trade are well informed regarding trade resolutions and government regulations restricting the trade in conflict diamonds.

Failure to abide by these principles exposes the member to expulsion from industry organizations.

Compliance is monitored through review visits, annual reports and reviewing statistical data. The Kimberley Process is chaired on a rotating basis and participating KP countries gather twice a year for plenary meetings. KP working groups and committees meet on a regular basis.

The Kimberley Process has 81 governments that have adopted its certification process and now shows that 99.8% of the world’s diamonds now come from conflict free sources.

For more information on The Kimberley Process, visit their website @ https://www.kimberleyprocess.com/

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