In order to stop the trade in “conflict diamonds,” all South African diamond-producing states met in Kimberley, South Africa in May of 2000. These diamond producing states discussed how they could effectively stop the trade of “conflict diamonds,” along with insuring that diamond purchases were not responsible for financing violence by rebels. The United Nations General Assembly convened in December of 2000, where they stood behind the creation of an international certification scheme for rough diamonds. It wasn’t until November of 2002 when the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme (KPCS) was created. In 2003, the KPCS was in full swing as participating countries began to implement the rules set forth by the resolution.

The Kimberley Process Certification Scheme prevents the shipment and trade of conflict diamonds by issuing extreme requirements on its members. Any country that has the ability to implement the requirements set forth by the Kimberley process may take part. The Kimberley Process requires that the certifying country puts national legislation in place. These countries are also required to commit to transparency and the exchange of statistical data. Any country wishing to trade rough diamonds may only legally trade with other countries participating in the scheme. Under the Kimberley Process, all diamonds traded must be accompanied by a certificate of authenticity from the KP stating that they are conflict free. The KPCS is a chaired process, under which different participating countries rotate out this responsibility on a year to year basis. The United States of America is the Chair in 2012.

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The Kimberley Process is a capacity-based program.  The countries involved focus on allowing the diamond mining to continue, but in a way that will create more wealth for the people mining, not the governments.  While an AID-based program would give countries such as Sierra Leone help to reduce their poverty, the Kimberley Process regulates the mining so the people feel more empowered.  Agencies involved in the Kimberley Process include the UN, the World Diamond Council and Partnership-Africa Canada (“Kimberley Process Basics,” n.d.). 

The Kimberley Process