Summary: December 15, 2004: EU Statement by Mr. John B. Richardson, Head of Delegation of the European Commission to the United Nations, on behalf of the European Union, on " The role of diamonds in fuelling conflict", at the General Assembly Debate - Agenda 21 (New York)
Mr Chairman,
I have the honour to speak on behalf of the European Union. The Candidate Countries, Bulgaria, Croatia, Romania and Turkey; the Countries of the Stabilization and Association Process and potential candidates Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, and Serbia and Montenegro; and the EFTA countries, Iceland and Liechtentstein, members of the European Economic Area, all align themselves with this statement.
Mr Chairman,
The annual debate by the General Assembly on the role of diamonds in fuelling conflict is an occasion for us to take stock of a problem that has contributed to some of the most brutal conflicts of recent years and threatened an entire industry - but it is also, this year, an occasion for us to applaud one of the most remarkable conflict prevention initiatives the multilateral system has yet seen.
When we last debated the role of diamonds in fuelling conflict, during the 58th UNGA, the overwhelming sense of the General Assembly was already one of satisfaction at the progress achieved by the international community, through the Kimberley Process, in addressing the scourge of conflict diamonds. The General Assembly particularly welcomed the introduction by the Kimberley Process of a 'peer review' system to provide assurances that the provisions of the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme
are in fact being implemented by all Participants in the Scheme. At the same time, there may still have been those who saw the Kimberley Process as yet another pious declaration of intent, with little clout to implement its provisions.
Less than one year later, there can no longer be any doubt that the Kimberley Process is indeed a remarkable success. The excellent report presented by Canada as Chair of the Process makes clear the extent to which the Certification Scheme has transformed the diamond trade at the global level. The Kimberley Process has given legitimate governments an unprecedented degree of control over their diamond resources. It has clamped down on smuggling - with numerous cases of illicit diamonds being
seized, which would otherwise have ended up on world markets. And it has prompted participating countries to introduce effective internal controls over diamond production and trade.
The figures speak for themselves - since the Certification Scheme came into effect, the proportion of diamonds which are exported and traded legally has gone up dramatically, and thanks to the Kimberley Process, there is now serious hope in many producing countries that diamonds will not only cease to fuel violent conflict, but indeed that they will come to be seen increasingly as an engine for development.
Effective monitoring of implementation has been absolutely central to this success. The EU is delighted at the great strides which the Kimberley Process has taken over the past year in implementing its peer review system. Since the beginning of this year, no fewer than eleven Participants - the European Community included - have received a review visit from the Kimberley Process. Virtually all other Participants have invited a review visit. All Participants have submitted an annual report on
their implementation of the Scheme. And specific compliance issues have been addressed successfully by the Process - in a spirit of cooperation and dialogue, but mindful of the imperative need to preserve the integrity of the Scheme. In a very short period of time, the Kimberley Process has thus surpassed the most optimistic expectations of what it could deliver.
Much of the credit for what the Kimberley Process has achieved over the past year must go to Canada as Chair of the Kimberley Process in 2004. It is largely thanks to Canada's inspired and determined leadership that the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme has emerged strengthened from the challenges it has faced, and is now such a robust and effective instrument. The EU looks forward to welcoming Russia as Chair and Botswana as Vice-Chair of the Process during 2005, and offers its strong
support as Russia takes up the Chair's mantle. The EU also wishes to commend the highly constructive role played in the Kimberley Process by industry and civil society.
Mr Chairman,
Important challenges remain for the Kimberley Process. Perhaps the most important one is to resist any temptation towards complacency. Many of the diamond-producing countries and regions which the Process was designed to help remain highly vulnerable to renewed conflict - and the Certification Scheme remains absolutely essential to consolidating peace in those regions.
Moreover, the continued implementation of a comprehensive peer review system will remain a central plank for ensuring full implementation of the Scheme. The European Community, as Chair of the Working Group on Monitoring within the Kimberley Process, remains committed to working towards this objective with all other Participants, as mandated by the recent Ottawa Plenary meeting. We also hope that the international community will increasingly reach out to those Participants in the Scheme who may
require external assistance in enhancing their capacity to implement the Scheme.
Finally, the Process will be called upon over the course of the next year to initiate a review of the Certification Scheme. The EU believes that the continued need for the Certification Scheme as a conflict prevention instrument should be the foremost consideration as we approach this review process.
Mr Chairman, let me conclude by noting that the Kimberley Process has shown itself deserving of the trust placed in it by the General Assembly, and urge that the draft Resolution receives the strong support of the General Assembly. The Kimberley Process is a true multilateral success story - and the sustained endorsement of the United Nations will give it the authority and legitimacy to persevere with its vital work.
Thank you.
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