The Kimberley Process is an initiative by governments, industry leaders and civil societies to curtail the flow of conflict diamonds. Conflict diamonds are rough diamonds used by rebel movements to finance wars against governments. These illicit stones have fueled devastating conflicts in countries such as Angola, Cote d'Ivoire, Sierra Leone and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The Kimberley Process Certification Scheme (KPCS) imposes strict requirements on its members to enable them to certify shipments of rough diamonds are “conflict free.”



The United Nations in 1997 placed Angola under sanctions which forbid countries from buying diamonds from them. This was the first resolution that specifically mentioned diamonds along with funding a war. In the 1990's it was estimated that 20% of the total production of diamonds were being sold for illegal purposes. By 1999 the illegal diamond trade was reported to have been reduced to 3.06% by the World Diamond Council.

In May of 2000 diamond producing countries of Southern Africa met to plan a method by which trade in conflict diamonds could be halted. In 2001 the diamond industry main figures convened and formed the World Diamond Council. They set out to draft a new process where rough diamonds could be certified as coming from a non conflict source.

The biggest weakness of the Kimberley Process is how it is monitored. Any country can become a member of the Kimberley Process just by sending a letter to the European Commission president. Even if the country doesn't meet the standards of the Kimberley Process it can still become a member. Some conflicts diamonds are still getting pass the Kimberley Certification Scheme. However, there has been a vast improvement in the war to fight conflict diamonds.

The Kimberley system increases the transparency of governments by forcing them to keep records of the diamonds they are exporting and importing and how much they are worth. This means that a government can be accountable for spending for the benefit of the country's population because it is known how much the government has made.

The US prohibited importation of rough diamonds from Sierra Leone in accordance with the UN resolution. It also banned importation from Liberia because they were recognized as acting like a pipeline for conflict diamonds. The KPCS became law in the United States in 2003 and was one of the major reasons this scheme could succeed. That is because the US is the largest consumer of diamonds.

A conflict free diamond is a diamond whose profits are not used to fund wars. It is also produced and mined under ethical conditions. Only diamonds that are certified and can be traced from the mine to the consumer are considered conflict free diamonds. Blood diamonds are still a concern, but with the Kimberley Process in place it makes the world more aware of the problem. When you are searching for a diamond ring make sure that you confirm what type of diamonds the jeweler uses and make sure they are KPCS.