Kimberley Process

The Kimberley Process (KP) unites administrations, civil societies, and industry in reducing the flow of conflict diamonds – ‘rough diamonds used to finance wars against governments’ – around the world.

About KP

KP Structure

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KP FAQs

The Structure of the Kimberley Process

As of December 2021, there are 59 Government Participants in the KP, representing 85 countries, with the European Union and its member states counting as a single Participant, represented by the European Commission.

Only Government Participants hold decision-making rights within the KP, where resolutions need to be passed by absolute consensus. The diamond industry, represented by the World Diamond Council (WDC), and civil society are non-voting Observers, but they participate in all KP’s working groups and committees, where much of the ongoing work of the KP takes.

The KP is governed by the Chair, who is an official appointed by the government of a designated Participant country. Heading and directing the management of the KP administration, the Chair serves for a full calendar year, starting on January 1, and oversees the worldwide implementation of the KPCS, as well as the operations of the KP working groups and committees.

At the beginning of the following calendar year, the position of Chair is assumed by the outgoing KP Vice Chair, who was earlier selected by the KP Participants.

Each year, the KP Chair hosts an Intersessional meeting and a Plenary meeting. Administrative decisions are passed at the Plenary meeting, and become valid after publication of the official communique following the event.

At the KP Plenary meeting in November 2012, the establishment of an Administrative Support Mechanism (AMS) was approved, to provide ongoing logistic and managerial assistance to the KP Chair and officers. Beginning operations in 2013, the AMS has been since operated and financed by the WDC.

Decisions confirmed by the KP Plenary are implemented and enforced and the national and regional level by individual governments

PARTICIPANTS

GOVERNMENT
REPRESENTATIVES*

*Only Government Partipants have voting rights. All decisions require full consensus.

OBSERVERS

INDUSTRY
CIVIL SOCIETY
REPRESENTATIVES

KP PLENARY

KP CHAIR

ADMINISTRATIVE
SUPPORT MECHANISM
(ASM)

KP VICE CHAIR

KP WORKING GROUPS

WORKING GROUP OF DIAMOND EXPERTS (WGDE)

WORKING GROUP ON MONITORING (WGM)

WORKING GROUP ON STATISTICS (WGS)

WORKING GROUP ON ARTISANAL AND
ALLUVIAL PRODUCTION (WGAAP)

COMMITTEE ON PARTICIPATION
AND CHAIRMANSHIP (CPC)

COMMITTEE ON RULES AND PROCEDURES (CRP)

The KP’s Working Groups and committees include:

Working Group of Diamond Experts (WGDE)
Chaired by the WDC, WGDE is a technical working group, charged with providing solutions to technical challenges and problems in the implementation of the KPCS.

Working Group on Monitoring (WGM)
The WGM deals with issues relating to the implementation of the KPCS. It is responsible for the peer-review mechanism, organizing review visits in participating countries, as well as conducting assessments of annual reports submitted by KP participants.

Working Group on Statistics (WGS)
The WGS ensures timely reporting and analysis of statistical data on the production and trade of rough diamonds from all KP-member countries, with the aim of being able to identify anomalies and ensure the effective implementation of the KPCS.

Working Group on Artisanal and Alluvial Production (WGAAP)
WGAAP is charged with developing effective internal controls on the production and trade of alluvial diamonds, enabling artisanal and small-scale diamond miners obtain legal access into the chain of distribution. Its work reflects the growing role of the KP in capacity-building in member countries.

Committee on Participation and Chairmanship (CPC)
CPC assists the Chair of the Kimberley Process in handling the admission of new participants, and it consults in cases of non-compliance by other participants. CPC is headed by the previous year’s KP Chair.

Committee on Rules and Procedures (CRP)
CRP helps develop the rules and procedures within the KPCS, as well as making recommendations to the Chair of the Kimberley Process regarding compliance with them.

Central African Republic Monitoring Team
In 2013, the KP embargoed exports of rough diamonds from the Central African Republic (CAR) after rebels seized control of the country. In July 2015, the organization agreed that CAR could resume exports, as long as it established “green zones” compliant with KP rules, from where they could originate. The CAR Monitoring team was established to oversee the legal exports of diamonds from these areas.