Kimberley Process Certification Scheme

Abstract

The Kimberley Process Certification Scheme (KPCS) is a joint initiative of governments, civil society, and representatives from the diamond industry. Initiated in Kimberley, South Africa in 2000, and formally launched in 2003, the certification scheme is an innovative attempt to curb the trade in 'conflict' or 'blood' diamonds that are used by rebel groups to fund wars, particularly in Africa. Participants in the KPCS voluntarily establish controls that attempt to tighten the regulatory framework and administrative transparency of the diamond industry, from the point of extraction to the point of sale. The primary contribution of the Kimberley Process has been to enhance the transparency of the diamond industry, and thus to close down many of the loopholes through which conflict diamonds have traditionally made their way into global markets. Keywords: civil society; diamond industry; Kimberley Process Certification Scheme (KPCS); South Africa; transnational economic governance

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