Kimberley Process remains a global model for ethical trade

The 21st century global economy is defined by two competing forces: an insatiable demand for natural resources and growing consumer mandates for ethical provenance. Amid this complexity, the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme (KPCS), a UN-mandated global initiative, stands as the preeminent, and arguably the most successful attempt to govern an entire commodity supply chain.

- Ahmed bin Sulayem

Despite recent, often pointed internal and external critiques, the KP's historical triumph and ongoing evolution cannot be dismissed. Far from being an outdated relic, the KP's state-backed structure provides an indispensable framework that must be strengthened and emulated, particularly as the world struggles to secure ethical supply chains for a broad range of commodities.

The narrative from critics, such as the Canadian NGO IMPACT, claims the KP's core success is deceptive and that its narrow scope effectively "conceals problems" by confirming situations where it will not act. This argument misrepresents the scheme's original mandate. The KP was explicitly created with a singular, targeted purpose: to stop diamonds financing rebel insurgencies that destabilised legitimate governments, such as those in Sierra Leone and Angola. This mission has been overwhelmingly successful. Before the KP's implementation, conflict diamonds accounted for an estimated 4-15 per cent of the global market; today, this figure is consistently below 1 per cent. This reduction represents the virtual elimination of the original problem it was designed to solve.

Furthermore, the idea that the KP is the "wrong model" because governance has shifted to company-led due diligence creates a false dichotomy.