Kimberley Process Supports Stronger Controls on Conflict Diamonds

Representatives from diamond trading countries and the diamond industry highlighted efforts to strengthen controls on the trade of rough diamonds at the annual plenary meeting of the Kimberley Process held here November 15 to 17. The group agreed on concrete steps to tackle the problem of conflict diamond production in Côte d’Ivoire.

"The Moscow plenary has made a solid contribution to the strengthening and development of efforts to exclude conflict diamonds from the legal diamond trade," according to Kimberley Process Chairman V.A. Shtyrov, president of the Russian Republic of Sakha-Yakutia.

The Russian Federation has chaired the Kimberley Process in 2005. Botswana will take over leadership in January 2006. The European Union was selected to serve as the Vice-Chair in 2006 and Chair in 2007.

The diamond trading countries called for strong measures to prevent the flow of illegal diamond production in Côte d’Ivoire from entering world markets. Diamond industry representatives will draw the attention of diamond traders and jewelers to the problem. The group called on donor countries to provide technical assistance to Côte d’Ivoire’s neighbors to help strengthen their internal controls on diamond trade.

"This is a challenge that affects all the participants in the Kimberley Process in equal measure," said Kim Eling, chairman of the Kimberley Process Working Group on Monitoring. "By agreeing to work together to address the flow of illicit diamonds out of Côte d’Ivoire we have shown that we can act decisively to tackle conflict diamond situations when they arise."

Kimberley Process participants also endorsed steps that alluvial diamond producing countries should take to prevent illicit diamond trade. Countries with artisanal diamond mining operations face particularly difficult challenges in controlling the flow of diamonds from mines to export.

The Kimberley Process Certification Scheme was launched in 2003 to combat trade in conflict diamonds which had fueled armed conflict in Africa. Some $32 billion dollars in rough diamonds were traded in 2004, according to data compiled by the Kimberley Process.

Kimberley Process participant countries issued nearly 57,000 certificates in 2004 to accompany rough diamond shipments

The Kimberley Process has established a credible system of peer review monitoring. To date, 19 countries have been visited by international diamond experts to inspect diamond trading regimes.

The Kimberley Process also has amassed a large body of statistics on the global production and trade in rough diamonds. This has enabled the body to alert countries to potential illegal diamond trade.

The diamond industry was a moving force behind the formation of the Kimberley Process. "The diamond industry continues to provide technical assistance to strengthen the system. We remain committed to an effective system of control of the movement of diamonds across international borders and a voluntary system of warranties for the entire diamond pipeline," said Eli Izhakoff, Chairman and CEO of the World Diamond Council.

The civil society organizations Global Witness and Partnership Africa Canada also have been active in Kimberley Process since its establishment. "The positive achievement of the past three years has set the stage for a move from conflict diamonds to diamonds that contribute in a meaningful way to the development of African producer countries and the individuals who mine diamonds," said Ian Smillie, research director for Partnership Africa Canada.