The United Nations General Assembly at a special session held in New York on March 3 reaffirmed by consensus its support to the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme (KPCS) as well as recognised its key role in peacebuilding and development.

The UN body also “encouraged further strengthening the scheme (to) make it more effective and to ensure that it remains relevant in the future while also contributing to international peace and security and the achievement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development”.

The Assembly also welcomed efforts made to strengthen the Process, including ongoing discussions on a definition of conflict diamonds, the importance of capacity‑building and mutual support, and the positive contribution that rough diamonds can make to prosperity and socio-economic development.

It also recalled the central role of mining communities in the Process and the need to devote attention to engaging artisanal miners in governance structures and developing best practices. 

The resolution L39, was introduced by Shri B. B. Swain, Additional Secretary of the Ministry of Commerce of India, as the country had held the KP Chair in 2019. He said that the draft “contributes to the broader agenda of the Kimberley Process of regional cooperation, which aims to identify the challenges and opportunities involved in enhancing the scheme’s implementation in Central Africa, with an initial focus on Angola, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Congo, Central African Republic and Cameroon”. 

Alexey Moiseev, Vice‑Minister for Finance of the Russian Federation, the current Chair of the Process, said, “Over the years, expectations among consumers have changed.  Today, they want to see transparency, respect for human rights, minimal impact on the environment and guarantees that the diamonds do not finance terrorism.”

Going forward, he said the Process must strengthen its mandate, not to establish new requirements, but to set new objectives.

Silvio Gonzato of the European Union said that the bloc “strongly supports calls for the Process to evolve and adapt to meet future challenges in the global diamond supply chain and to provide assurances that diamonds are not tainted by violence”.

The United Arab Emirates’ representative said that the challenges today are not limited to blood diamonds, but rather encompass strengthening the legitimate diamond trade. He added that the UAE government, which had initiated discussion on establishing a permanent secretariat in the Kimberley Process, reiterates that this would improve the work of the Process and support the Chair in achieving the desired goals. 

“For Botswana, diamonds have and will always be for development,” said Mmetla Masire, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Mineral Resources, Green Technology and Energy Security of Botswana. He expressed the hope that Central African Republic would soon be declared a full green zone exporting State, and advocated greater efforts to enhance cooperation and assistance to diamond-producing countries on best practices, capacity-building and compliance with the minimum requirements of the Process. 

A number of other country representatives, including leading mining countries such as South Africa and DRC, also spoke in support of the KPCS and its work towards achieving its goals.

Pic caption: B. B. Swain, Additional Secretary of the Ministry of Commerce of India, introduces a resolution, encouraging further strengthening of the global diamond certification scheme known as the Kimberley Process. The resolution was later adopted by consensus.

Pic Courtesy: United Nations, New York