the achievements and failings of the kimberley process

I've submitted a second piece for the 21st Century Network. It talks about the Kimberly Process.

From the article:

Initially, the KPCS was successful. Prior to its 2003 inception, conflict diamonds made up as much as 15% of the global trade. With the implementation of the KPCS, that figure fell to a fraction of one percent. The diamond-buying public was assured that blood diamonds had been all but eradicated from the market.

But it didn’t take long for critics to point out a number of failings in the system. Diamond – producing countries were found circumventing the KPCS through smuggling. This happened in the Republic of Congo in 2004 and Cotê D’Ivoire in 2006 — both countries simply smuggled diamonds out to friendly neighbors. Moreover, paper certificates were liable to forgery or could be produced officially through bribery or deception. And the KPCS only covers rough diamonds; anyone capable of cutting their own diamonds is exempt from the process altogether.

And then there’s Zimbabwe.

It's not a particularly cheery article, but it sets the stage nicely for the next item, which will talk about what we as a small retailer in Japan can accomplish that improves the situation rather than worsening it.