Kimberley Process, Cornerstone of the Natural Diamond's Social Commitment

(idexonline.com) - On August 13, 2020, IDEX Online posted a Memo by its correspondent John Jeffay. In it, he reported on a discussion he had with Jacques Voorhees, a long-time industry entrepreneur, recalling an article that the latter had written in January 2002, entitled "In Search of Conflict Diamonds." There, Mr. Voorhees recounted his experiences in Sierra Leone during the civil war 20 years ago. Speaking to the IDEX reporter, Mr. Voorhees questioned both the effectiveness and purpose of the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme (KPCS). When asked whether conflict diamonds exist, he answered: "If you're talking about the diamonds that were looted by rebels and traded for guns, you could call them blood diamonds. But diamonds get the blame for the atrocities carried out by the rebels. Controlling the movement of diamonds is laughable as a solution. It's like waving chain-link fencing at a virus. It's the wrong tool for the job. What makes me so upset is that it detracts from the real issue, which is what the world needs to do to stop the conflict." As President of the World Diamond Council, which is the body charged with representing the industry in the Kimberley Process, I understand Mr. Voorhees's argument. It's is not the diamonds that were at fault, for they are inert gemstones. It was rather the unscrupulous rebels exploiting them. They were the cause for the violence and suffering that occurred. This also was the position I held 20 years ago, when as a diamond manufacturer and trader I struggled together with my colleagues to help find solutions for a political and humanitarian crisis. But I disagree with Mr. Voorhees's contention that the KPCS can be likened to "waving chain-link fencing at a virus." Our objective in 2000, the year that both the KP and the WDC were established, was to develop a system that would prevent rebel forces from obtaining revenues from the diamond fields they had plundered. It was not simply about removing conflict diamonds from the distribution chain. It was also about ending the indescribable suffering at the hands of rebel forces that was taking place in the artisanal communities that relied on the gemstones for their daily sustenance. It was about creating the conditions in which rough-producing countries suffering from civil conflict could recover, by helping ensure that revenues from diamond sales return through legitimate channels to benefit their mining communities.