The kimberley process is an international initiative established to prevent conflict diamond trade. Established by African nations in 2000, its aim is to ensure that diamond purchases do not support violence and cruelty against their people.
The Kimberley Process requires its members to comply with certain conditions when mining rough diamonds, and has helped save lives while creating jobs in areas where diamond mining historically supported violent rebellion.
What is the Kimberley Process?
The Kimberley Process is an international trade regime created to reduce the flow of so-called conflict diamonds across borders and protect civilian society from abuse by governments, industry and civil society.
Launched in 2003, this initiative requires participating countries to implement import/export control measures for rough diamonds, as well as international shipments being accompanied by KP certificates that verify all diamonds sold globally are non-conflict diamonds.
While this process has proven effective at slowing down trade in lab grown diamonds Manchester, it does not address all the associated issues such as worker exploitation, child labor and environmental degradation that arise with diamond mining and distribution.
How does the Kimberley Process prevent blood diamond trade?
The Kimberley Process works to stop blood diamond trading by ensuring rough diamonds are transported in tamper-proof containers with certification stating they are conflict-free before being sold internationally. This global initiative has successfully reduced crime rates while decreasing funds being provided to rebel groups.
But the scheme has experienced multiple issues over time, such as lax controls and illegal trading in violation of its principles. One such example is Zimbabwe’s Marange Valley conflict where diamonds originating from areas controlled by rebel groups were sold on the open market.
The Kimberley Process has proven its worth by significantly decreasing money and supplies going directly to rebel groups; however, this does not eliminate all conflicts. Therefore, its definition of conflict diamond should expand beyond simply rebel groups to include all forms of human rights abuse associated with diamond trade activities.
What are blood or conflict diamonds?
Blood diamonds are rough diamonds mined by rebel or militia groups operating in warzones to fund military operations and weapon purchases – an illegal practice under United Nations Security Council resolutions.
The diamond industry has made impressive progress in curbing conflict diamond trade thanks to the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme (KPCS), an international forum established to consult governments, diamond industry members and non governmental organizations about ways of handling conflict diamonds.
Process to block diamonds originating in areas controlled by forces or factions opposed to legitimate and internationally recognized governments is achieved by mandating that every shipment of rough diamonds be certified as conflict free diamonds.
How does the Kimberley Process prevent child labor and environmental issues?
The Kimberley Process is an international initiative requiring participating governments to ensure each shipment of rough diamonds exported or imported through secure containers, with each shipment including an officially validated certificate proving they come from sources free from conflict.
This process also works to combat blood diamond trade by restricting trading in diamonds from countries which have been involved in civil wars or have committed human rights violations, commonly referred to as “blood diamond states” or “conflict diamond states.”
Cote d’Ivoire has been at the epicenter of an extremely violent civil conflict since 2004; due to this ban by both Kimberley Process and UN resolutions, its diamond production and exports did not go towards financing it, thus preventing one of history’s longest civil conflicts from unfolding.
