Global Diamond Industry Agreed to Reform Kimberley Process and Redefine Conflict Diamonds
Diamond-producing countries, industry representatives, and civil society agreed on Monday in the United Arab Emirates to reform the Kimberley Process (KP) and to redefine the concept of conflict diamonds in order to address current global challenges.
The decision was taken during the ministerial plenary meeting on the Kimberley Process, held from 17 to 21 November.
According to a note accessed by ANGOP on Tuesday, the meeting was convened again for the first time since 2002, underscoring its historic significance and the urgent issues facing the global diamond industry.
During the opening session, the President of the KP, Ahmed Bin Sulayem, described the moment as “crucial” for the sector and urged participants to take decisive action.
He stressed that the world “could not miss the opportunity to modernize the definition of conflict diamonds, strengthen the Secretariat, and ensure a sustainable financing model,” reaffirming the Kimberley Process as the most credible international mechanism for safeguarding legitimate diamond trade.
The Undersecretary for Foreign Trade of the United Arab Emirates, H.E. Fahad Al Gergawi, reiterated his country’s commitment to more cohesive and effective global governance, emphasizing the need for stability, cooperation, and concrete results for the industry.
Angola’s delegation to the event was led by the National Coordinator of the Kimberley Process, Estanislau Buio, and included Endiama Administrator Domingos Margarida, senior officials from the National Commission of the Kimberley Process, and members of the Special Security Corps for Strategic Minerals (CESME).
The Kimberley Process International Certification Scheme is the global mechanism designed to prevent the trade of diamonds originating from conflict zones.
