Documents

Core documents

The main documents of the Kimberley Process, including the KPCS document.
Rules of procedure
Working group terms of reference

Reliable and comparable data is important for the effective implementation of the certification scheme. Participants must submit rough diamond production statistics on a semi-annual basis and rough diamond trade statistics and Kimberley Process Certification count statistics on a quarterly basis. In the interests of transparency, this data is made public.

Review visits

Review visits are one of the pillars of the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme (KPCS) peer-review mechanism. Review teams examine physical evidence of KPCS compliance through visits to participants’ designated Kimberley Process authorities, national departments of minerals and/or mines, customs, law enforcement and related agencies. Teams can also meet companies and other entities in the diamond sector, representatives of local civil society and visit mines. Summaries of review visit reports are made public.

Annual reports

-no text, participant content-

Third year review

Under the original Kimberley Process Certification Scheme (KPCS) agreement, participants planned a review of the scheme after three years. The first review, produced in 2006, focused on three major areas:

The impact of the KPCS on the international trade in rough diamonds, and the extent to which the scheme has been effective in preventing the flow of conflict diamonds into legitimate trade
The technical provisions of the scheme and whether they are functioning as planned
The operation of the scheme

Plenary and intersessional meetings

The plenary meeting of the Kimberley Process is its main decision-making body and is held towards the end of each year. The intersessional meeting brings working groups together to prepare for the plenary.

Chair’s Notices

The Kimberley Process and the United Nations

The Kimberley Process (KP) has been backed by the United Nations (UN) from the start. In December 2000, the UN’s General Assembly adopted a resolution supporting the creation of an international certification scheme for rough diamonds, and has voiced its support for the KP every year since.

The Kimberley Process and the World Trade Organisation

In December 2006, the World Trade Organisation (WTO) renewed its waiver (*) for the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme (KPCS), recognising the importance and effectiveness of the scheme.

* A WTO waiver is required for every trade preference that entails discrimination among WTO Members so as to cover the non-discrimination imposed by the first article of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT)