Kimberley Process: European Commission leads UN General Assembly debate on conflict diamonds

The General Assembly, acting by consensus, today adopted its seventh annual resolution supporting the Kimberley Process scheme to combat conflict diamonds.

The General Assembly welcomed the achievements of the scheme, chaired this year by the European Community. The resolution congratulates the 48 Participant for fulfilling the objectives set by the EC this year to strengthen implementation of the peer review system, increase the transparency and accuracy of statistics, promote research into the traceability of diamonds, and broaden involvement by governments and civil society.

The General Assembly also welcomed the initiative announced in Brussels to address the issue of rough diamonds from Côte d'Ivoire by engaging all relevant stakeholders, and noted with appreciation the co-operation of the Kimberley Process with the United Nations on this issue, and welcomed Ghana's efforts, supported by the Kimberley Process community, to enhance its internal controls. A declaration on controls in diamond trading and manufacturing centres was also welcomed.

Karel Kovanda, KP Chairman, said "The Kimberley Process is becoming a mature part of the international scheme and an inspiration to others looking to break links between natural resources and conflict. It has benefited from the whole-hearted support of the international community since it began, and continues to evolve to strengthen implementation on the ground. The EC has been delighted to have this opportunity to lead the scheme this year, with the backing of all our partners, and we wish India and Namibia, as 2008 Chair and Vice-Chair, every success."

The Kimberley Process is a UN-endorsed scheme to eliminate conflict diamonds from world trade. It currently has 48 members representing 74 countries (the EC being a single participant) and includes all major diamond-producing and trading countries.

For more information on the EC's chairmanship of the Kimberley Process, please visit:
http://ec.europa.eu/external_relations/kimb/intro/index.htm

and www.kimberleyprocess.com

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