The Kimberley Process started when Southern African diamond-producing states met in Kimberley, South Africa, in May 2000, to discuss ways to stop the trade in ‘conflict diamonds’ and ensure that diamond purchases were not financing violence by rebel movements and their allies seeking to undermine legitimate governments.
The Kimberley Process (KP) is a commitment to remove conflict diamonds from the global supply chain. Today, participants actively prevent 99.8% of the worldwide trade.
Defining conflict diamonds
Conflict diamonds qualify the rough diamonds used by rebel movements or their allies to finance armed conflicts aimed at undermining legitimate governments.
Kimberley Process: United in eradicating conflict diamonds
The Kimberley Process (KP) unites governments, industry, and civil society to eradicate the global trade of conflict diamonds. By enforcing rigorous certification protocols and compliance assessments, the KP ensures that all participating countries maintain high standards that keep conflict diamonds out of the international market.
Who is involved?
The Kimberley Process (KP) participants are states and regional economic integration organisations that are eligible to trade in rough diamonds. There are 60 participants representing 86 countries, with the European Union counting as a single participant. The participants include all major rough diamond producing, exporting and importing countries. The diamond industry, through the World Diamond Council, and civil society groups are also integral parts of the KP. These organisations have been involved since the start and continue to contribute to its effective implementation and monitoring.