Conflict Diamonds
"As a result of the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme, diamonds are among the most monitored and audited of any natural resource in the world. This system has proven to be an essential and effective tool in combating the scourge of conflict diamonds."
--Eli Izhakoff, Chairman World Diamond Council
![Diamond prospectors sift through the earth in the Corbert mine in Waiima, Sierra Leone. [© AP Images]](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/eot2008/20090506180819im_/http://www.state.gov/cms_images/conflict_diamonds1_250.jpg) Diamond prospectors in Waiima, Sierra Leone. © AP Images |
The Kimberley Process was launched in 2003 to control and monitor the trade in rough diamonds. In just three years, the international community has made remarkable strides to certify the $30 billion annual international rough diamond trade by creating a documentary record of rough diamonds from mine to polishing. Rough diamonds must be shipped in sealed containers and exported with a Kimberley Process Certificate which certifies that the diamonds are conflict free.
The State Department coordinates U.S. Government interagency implementation of the Clean Diamond Trade Act of 2003.
For further information, contact the U.S. State Department's Special Advisor for Conflict Diamonds Brad Brooks-Rubin at 202-647-2856.
To obtain a Kimberley Process Certificate, contact the U.S. Kimberley Process Authority's General Counsel Cecilia Gardner 212-997-2002
FAQs on the Kimberly Process and how to obtain a certificate.
Other Links:
1,200 Carats of Possible 'Blood Diamonds' Seized at JFK: CBP Release
2008 New Delhi Kimberley Process Plenary Communique
Rough Diamond Trade with Venezuela: Public Notice
State Department Blog: Diamonds: From Bloodshed to Reconstruction
UN General Assembly Resolution on the Role of Diamonds in Fuelling Conflict: 
PDF version
U.S. statement on U.N. General Assembly Resolution on the Role of Diamonds in Fuelling Conflict: Press Release
The Office of Electronic Information, Bureau of Public Affairs, manages this site as a portal for information from the U.S. State Department. External links to other Internet sites should not be construed as an endorsement of the views or privacy policies contained therein.