LONDON, Dec 9 (Reuters) - The Kimberley Process, a government, industry and civil society initiative to stem the flow of so-called blood, or conflict, diamonds, has come under fire in recent months with even once vocal supporters calling its efficiency into question.
For an analysis, see :
The following are key facts on the scheme.
* What is the Kimberley Process?
An initiative backed by producer countries, miners, jewellers and campaign groups, the Kimberley Process was set up in 2002 to control the use of rough diamonds to fund rebel movements and human rights abuses in places like Angola, Ivory Coast, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Sierra Leone.
The certification scheme, brought in 2003, lays out requirements for controlling production and trade but allows rough diamond shipments to be branded "conflict-free".
The process was named after the South African city that was the birthplace of the modern diamond industry and where diamond producing states first met in 2000 to discuss the scheme.
It is chaired by participating countries on rotation. The Democratic Republic of Congo is currently the chair.
* Who is a member?
The Kimberley Process has 50 members representing 76 countries, with the European Union counting as one participant. Members account for 99.8 percent of global rough diamond production.
Swaziland was the last country to join. Others, including Mali, Mozambique, Burkina Faso have also expressed an interest in signing up.
Campaign groups have also played a major role but Global Witness, a key proponent and founding member, pulled out this week.
* How does the scheme work?
The Kimberley Process Certification Scheme imposes requirements on its members, including national legislation and institutions; export, import and internal controls; transparency and exchanging data. Shipments of rough diamonds must be accompanied by a certificate to guarantee they are "conflict-free". No member can import gems from a non-member.
* Why did Global Witness pull out?
The Kimberley Process website describes the scheme as an effective mechanism and estimates conflict diamonds now represent "a fraction of one percent" of international trade compared to up to 15 percent in the 1990s.
Global Witness and others have cast doubt on the scheme's effectiveness.
Among its more controversial decisions was the move last month to allow companies operating in the disputed but potentially hugely lucrative Marange fields in Zimbabwe to export diamonds.
The Marange fields were seized in 2008 by government security forces tasked with flushing out artisanal miners. They killed at least 200 small scale miners, according to Global Witness, and there have been reports of forced labour and of government officials profiting from the gem sales.
As recently as July, advocacy group Human Rights Watch said Zimbabwe police and private guards employed by mining companies in the Marange fields were shooting, beating and using attack dogs on artisanal miners.
The United States has said a compromise over Marange was necessary after two years of debate that risked paralysing the entire process. (Reporting by Clara Ferreira-Marques, Editing by Ed Stoddard and Sonya Hepinstall)
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
