Tackling conflict diamonds: the Kimberley process certification scheme

This article examines how the international community responded to the threat posed by ‘blood’ diamonds by devising the Kimberley Process certification scheme. It describes how the scheme evolved via sanctions regimes applied by the United Nations to the diamond industry of countries such as Angola and Sierra Leone. It sets out the role played by the main actors, the merits and shortcomings of the agreement they struck, and the conclusions and lessons learned. It explains how the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, working in conjunction with HM Customs and Excise, implements the scheme in the UK. Finally it also explores briefly the potential for adapting the Kimberley Process scheme for use with other natural resources exploited illegally, such as timber.