The Kimberley Process is a joint government, international diamond industry and civil society initiative to stem the flow of conflict diamonds - rough diamonds that are used by rebel movements to finance wars against legitimate governments.
The Kimberley Process started in May of 2000 in Kimberley, South Africa to find a way to stop the trade in conflict diamonds and to ensure consumers that the diamonds that they just purchased did not contribute to the violent conflict and human rights abuses in their countries of origin. The trade in these illicit stones has contributed to devastating conflicts in countries such as Angola, Cote d'Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Sierra Leone. The Kimberley Process Certification Scheme (KPCS) is an innovative, voluntary system that imposes extensive requirements on Participants to certify that shipments of rough diamonds are free from conflict diamonds. The Kimberley Process is composed of 45 Participants, including the European Community. Kimberley Process Participants account for approximately 99.8% of the global production of rough diamonds.
To read more on the Kimberley Process, please click any underlined Kimberley Process link.