KIMBERLEY
The Kimberley Process Certification Scheme (KPCS) is the process established in 2003 to prevent "conflict diamonds" from entering the mainstream rough diamond market by United Nations General Assembly Resolution 55/56 following recommendations in the Fowler Report. The process was set up "to ensure that diamond purchases were not financing violence by rebel movements and their allies seeking to undermine legitimate governments."
Norge innførte Kimberley-prosessens sertifiseringsordning for handel og uslepne diamanter 1. april 2004.
Kimberley-prosessen er et internasjonalt initiativ etablert for å bryte forbindelsen mellom handel for uslepne diamanter og væpnede konflikter. Den startet i mai 2000 på initiativ av sørafrikanske myndigheter sammen med flere andre diamantproduserende land i det sørlige Afrika, bl.a. Botswana. En rekke land sluttet seg til prosessen; foruten de fleste diamantproduserende afrikanske land, EU-landene, Sveits, USA, Kina, Russland, Japan og Canada m.fl.
Norge har støttet Kimberley-prosessen siden slutten av 2001, og er full deltaker i prosessen gjennom innføringen av sertifiseringsordningen i norsk rett. Det ble gjort ved Forskrift om gjennomføring av Kimberley-prosessens sertifiseringsordning for handel med uslepne diamanter, vedtatt av Utenriksdepartementet den 24. februar 2004 med ikrafttredelse 1. april 2004.
Alle SDE diamanter er kjøpt iht. Kimberley-prosessens sertifiseringsordning.
Kimberley Process
KP Basics
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.
In December 2000, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a landmark resolution supporting the creation of an international certification scheme for rough diamonds. By November 2002, negotiations between governments, the international diamond industry and civil society organisations resulted in the creation of the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme (KPCS) . The KPCS document sets out the requirements for controlling rough diamond production and trade. The KPCS entered into force in 2003, when participating countries started to implement its rules.
Who is involved?
The Kimberley Process (KP) is open to all countries that are willing and able to implement its requirements. As of November 2012, the KP has 54 participants, representing 80 countries, with the European Union and its Member States counting as a single participant. KP members account for approximately 99.8% of the global production of rough diamonds. In addition, the World Diamond Council, representing the international diamond industry, and civil society organisations, such as Partnership-Africa Canada, participate in the KP and have played a major role since its outset.
How does the Kimberley Process work?
The Kimberley Process Certification Scheme (KPCS) imposes extensive requirements (*) on its members to enable them to certify shipments of rough diamonds as ‘conflict-free' and prevent conflict diamonds from entering the legitimate trade. Under the terms of the KPCS, participating states must meet ‘minimum requirements' and must put in place national legislation and institutions; export, import and internal controls; and also commit to transparency and the exchange of statistical data. Participants can only legally trade with other participants who have also met the minimum requirements of the scheme, and international shipments of rough diamonds must be accompanied by a KP certificate guaranteeing that they are conflict-free.
The Kimberley Process is chaired, on a rotating basis, by participating countries. So far, South Africa, Canada, Russia, Botswana, the European Union, India, Namibia, Israel, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the United States of America have chaired the KP, and South Africa is the Chair in 2013. KP participating countries and industry and civil society observers gather twice a year at intersessional and plenary meetings, as well as in working groups and committees that meet on a regular basis. Implementation is monitored through ‘review visits' and annual reports as well as by regular exchange and analysis of statistical data.
(*)The requirements for participation are outlined in Sections II, V (a) and VI (8,9) of the KPCS.
The Kimberley Process: unique and effective
The Kimberley Process Certification Scheme (KPCS) has evolved into an effective mechanism for stemming the trade in conflict diamonds and is recognized as a unique conflict-prevention instrument to promote peace and security. The joint efforts of governments, industry leaders and civil society representatives have enabled the Kimberley Process (KP) to curb successfully the flow of conflict diamonds in a very short period of time. Diamond experts estimate that conflict diamonds now represent a fraction of one percent of the international trade in diamonds, compared to estimates of up to 15% in the 1990s. That has been the KP's most remarkable contribution to a peaceful world, which should be measured not in terms of carats, but by the effects on people's lives.
The KP has done more than just stem the flow of conflict diamonds, it has also helped stabilise fragile countries and supported their development. As the KP has made life harder for criminals, it has brought large volumes of diamonds onto the legal market that would not otherwise have made it there. This has increased the revenues of poor governments, and helped them to address their countries' development challenges. For instance, some $125 million worth of diamonds were legally exported from Sierra Leone in 2006, compared to almost none at the end of the 1990s.
In 2006, a review of the KP confirmed its effectiveness, and recommended a number of actions to further strengthen the system in areas such as monitoring of implementation and strengthening internal controls in participating countries, as well as greater transparency in the gathering of statistical data. The Committee on KPCS Review was mandated in November 2011 to conduct a new review of the core objectives, core definitions, and functioning of the Kimberley Process during 2012-2013.