The Kimberley Process
What is it? And its historyThe Kimberley Process, is a certification system, in which countries that are part of the process, must guarantee that their country's diamonds are not being used to fund civil wars. Countries under this process are only allowed to trade with countries that are also under the process. The Kimberley Process' definition of a legitimate diamond, is as follows: 'Rough Diamonds used by rebel movements or their allies to finance armed conflicts aimed at undermining legitimate governments.' The Kimberley Process has 80 participating countries and the support of non-government organisations. It claims that 99% of the world's diamonds in circulation pass their certification. The Kimberley Process was created when diamond producing South African states met in Kimberley in May, 2000, to discuss how to stop the flow of 'Blood Diamonds'. It was there, that this system was developed and in Decemeber of the same year, the U.N. General Assembly supported the creation and implementation of this process.
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Was it successful?
Many people argue that The Kimberley Process was unsuccessful, as it didn't and continues not to stop atrocities that occur within the diamond industry, such as murder, rape, torture, child labor and $1 a day workers. Global Witness a non-government organisation that was one of the supporting creators of The Kimberley Process left and stop supporting The Kimberley Process, because they didn't want to be 'an accomplice to diamond laundering'. Ian Smilie one of the chief officers and fellow creator of the process also left. In a statement, Mr Smilie explained that he could 'no longer, in good faith, continue to pretence that failure is success.' On the other hand, The Kimberley Process argues that they set out to stop civil wars funded by the selling of diamonds which they claim, they have achieved.