The leading creator of the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme, designed to stop the trade of blood diamonds, has said that he “stomped out” on the plan, as it was no longer working.  Ian Smillie, considered the “grandfather” of the KPCS, says that the Scheme is headed for a complete breakdown as both governments and the diamond industry itself are failing to act against gross human rights violations.  This month, Smillie left his job with the KPCS, stating to the GlobalPost that he is “not prepared to take part in a pretence that the Kimberley Process is working when it is not.”

Smillie was one of the original authors of the KPCS, a 2003 United Nations-backed agreement designed to—and credited for—breaking the relationship between the diamond trade and brutal conflicts, primarily those in southern and western Africa.  49 Nations signed the agreement.  Few have lived up to its intent.

Speaking from his Ottawa office, where he works as research coordinator for the non-governmental organization Partnership Africa Canada, Smillie noted that, “It isn’t regulating the rough diamond trade.  It is in danger of becoming irrelevant and it’s letting all manner of crooks off the hook.”  These remarks came even as the 49 participating members—including governments, industry, and civil society—met in Namibia to address an ever-growing list of concerns.  His thoughts have been echoed by Global Witness, a London-based human rights group that has been tracing international mining activities.

At the top of the watch list is Zimbabwe, where hundreds of miners were massacred by the army as the Robert Mugabe’s government took control of the prolific Chiadzwa mine.  Under strict KPCS guidelines, these diamonds are not categorized as “conflict diamonds” because they are funding the government, and not a rebel army.  Smillie rejected this, unequivocally stating that, “They are blood diamonds.  They have blood all over them.”

According to Global Witness, 100% of Venezuela’s diamonds are being smuggled.  Guinea is not reporting a 500% increase in diamond production this year, which raises a red flag.  Those diamonds could easily come from Sierra Leone or Liberia, or any of the surrounding countries not participating in the KPCS.  Lebanon is exporting more rough diamonds than it is importing, despite the country’s complete lack of diamond deposits.  In many areas of West Africa, many diamond traders are Lebanese, bringing the diamonds back to a country known to use smuggled diamonds to fund criminal and terrorist organizations.  Soon after the September 11 attacks on the US, Washington Post journalist Douglas Farah was able to link illegally-mined West African diamonds and Al Qaeda.

Yet all of these countries remain active members of the Kimberley Process. 

Although in April the World Federation of Diamond Bourses called on all members not to trade any diamonds coming from the Marange region of Zimbabwe, the KPCS body made no such statement.  Ian Smillie sees the Scheme failing, but hopes that its new overseers will make the necessary changes to enforce regulations and change ambiguous language.  Leaving any grey areas offers morally bankrupt diamond traders to continue selling their wares unmolested by rules protecting human rights. 

According to Smillie, a complete collapse of the Kimberley Process—including not changing the existing language of the current system—would cause two things.  He warned that, “The diamond trade would go back to its criminal past and rebel armies would have no problem finding buyers for their blood diamonds.  The potential for diamonds fueling conflict would be back.”  With the weak language that exists in the KPCS now, conflict is already taking place, but is not stopped because it is only the ‘funding of rebel armies’ that is forbidden.  If the current government of a nation is corrupt and illegally trading diamonds, then the KPCS can’t do anything about it. 

Smillie sadly notes that, “When you see what the Kimberley Process can do, it’s very disappointing where it fails.”  Hopefully, the United Nations will step in and make the changes that both the ‘grandfather of the KPCS’ and the watch-group Global Witness recommends, before more blood is spilled and the diamond industry is forever tainted.

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