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In the late 1990s, a small portion of diamonds was illegally traded to fund wars in central and
western Africa. These stones were known as “conflict diamonds.” The global diamond industry,
along with nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and the governments of various nations, declared
a policy of zero tolerance for these conflict diamonds and adopted the United Nations-mandated
Kimberley Process and the voluntary System of Warranties. Created in 2000, the Kimberley Process
requires that each shipment of rough diamonds be exported or imported in a secure container,
accompanied by a government-validated, numbered certificate that states that the diamond is conflict free.
To date, 71 countries have ratified the Kimberley Process and over 99 percent of all diamonds
are said to be certified conflict free.
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