Summary: 31 October 2007, Brussels - The European Commission, as current Chair of the Kimberley Process (KP) - the international scheme to end trade in conflict diamonds, is hosting its Annual Conference in Brussels on 5-8 November. Some 300 delegates, including Ministers, officials, industry and civil society representatives, will meet to review efforts in diamond trading, cutting and polishing centres to exclude conflict diamonds, as well as controls in countries with artisanal diamond production. Participants are expected to agree further measures to strengthen the scheme.
"We knew that taking on the Chairmanship would be a challenge but we can now see some of our hard work paying off, with tangible results in added transparency, substantial programmes under way in a number of participant countries to improve internal controls, and the launch of a new round of peer review visits. The lifting of UN sanctions against Liberia and its admission into the KP is a real milestone for West Africa and the Kimberley Process, and shows what teamwork can achieve," says
Benita Ferrero-Waldner, European Commissioner for External Relations and European Neighbourhood Policy. "As Chair this year, the Commission has worked continuously with partners in government, industry, research and scientific communities, and international organisations to address the underlying causes of conflict in diamond-producing countries and to carry out the reform agenda agreed by Kimberley Process members last year. As we prepare to hand over the reins to the next Chair, India, in
December, we affirm our continuing support for and commitment to this model multi-stakeholder partnership. There is still room for improvement!"
The Brussels Conference will adopt a number of decisions from the reforms agreed the previous year, notably provisions to strengthen peer review, transparency of statistics, increase representation of civil society particularly from producer countries, and use of science and technology to strengthen compliance with KP rules.
The KP will devote considerable time to the one remaining case of conflict diamonds, namely those originating in northern Cote d'Ivoire, and to reviewing Ghana's efforts to improve controls over its informal mining sector. Six months since UN diamond sanctions were lifted and it joined the KP, Liberia will update on developments in its diamond sector. Participants will look to see progress in Latin America, notably Venezuela.
Delegates will listen to reports on the KP's peer review system, which this year attained its original goal of essentially universal coverage, a remarkable achievement given its voluntary nature. The KP has since 2003 conducted more than 50 on-the-ground inspection visits in member countries, helping to identify and share best practice, recommend ways to tackle weaknesses, and create a 'community of compliance'. The KP has launched a second round with a visit to Zimbabwe in June.
Links between KP activities and the broader international community will be examined, with representatives of different United Nations agencies, the World Bank, the African Diamond Producers Association, the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative and the Development Diamond Initiative participating in the conference.
Delegates will also be invited to consider the possibilities for a collaborative study of scientific techniques to identify the source of diamonds, a promising way to strengthen controls over the diamond sector.
A press conference with the current and incoming chairs (Commission and India) and representatives of industry and civil society will take place at the end of the Conference on Thursday 8 November at 13h00 in the Palais d'Egmont (8, Place du Petit Sablon, B-1000 Brussels). Journalists wanting to attend should bring along their Commission press accreditation.
The EU & the Kimberley Process:
http://ec.europa.eu/comm/external_relations/kimb/intro/index.htm
www.kimberleyprocess.com
| Top |
European Union Member States
Alerts by email
Email this page
Print this page
EC Chairmanship of the Kimberley Process: from Conflict Diamonds to Prosperity Diamonds