Behind and history of blood diamonds - Research Paper Example

The trade of blood diamonds has been the cause of 4 million deaths. In the 1990s, before relevant steps were taken to curb the problem, conflict diamond trade amounted to be between 3.7-20 percent of the total global diamond trade (“Blood Diamonds”). It was during the end of 1998 and the beginning of 1999 that the UN began to approach the issue of blood diamond. The UN together with relevant NGOs began to create general awareness regarding blood diamonds among policy makers, media and public representatives to inform them about the gravity of the issue.

The UN subsequently passed resolutions such as United Nations Security Council Resolution 1173 and United Nations Security Council Resolution 1176 to ban the trade of illegal diamonds in Angola. However, these resolutions had little effect on prominent warlords. Trade of Blood Diamonds continued to occur in Angola. The UN then commissioned the Canadian ambassador, Robert Fowler to investigate the issue further. Fowler’s investigations resulted in the Fowler Report in 2000. This report helped form the Kimberly Process Certification Scheme.

Under the Kimberly Process Certification Scheme, it is illegal to trade diamonds in any country where the diamonds are not in officially sealed packages. Furthermore, criminal charges are to be imposed to anyone caught trading in illegal diamonds. However, the biggest shortcoming of the Scheme is that it does not protect Blood Diamond trade from corrupt officials who are willing to officially stamp the diamonds for a certain fee. The definition of blood diamond is also limited in this process (Bates).

It is argued that the Kimberley Process needs to be revised even as some claim that this process is a step in the right direction (Grant, 393). Others are completely against the process by claiming that the scheme only supports nations and businesses