Official representatives of the European Union and India participating in the Kimberley Process (KP) Intersessional made a coordinated proposal under which EU will assume responsibility as KP Vice-Chair in 2017 and as KP Chair in 2018, while India will become KP Vice-Chair in 2018 and assume the position of KP Chair in 2019, according to a Indian government press release.
According to the Head of the EU Delegation to the KP Tung-Lai Margue, the EU and India seek to avoid situations of conflict and provide stability to the KP by providing a clear and predictable chairmanship for 2018 and 2019 as well as a continuous program around shared priorities between consecutive chairs.
Margue presented to the Kimberley Process Intersessional meeting an outline of the goals that EU and India share for the KP. These goals include forging consensus during the next review cycle to reach agreement on a number of shared priorities that will ensure the KP becomes stronger and more effective; enhancing cooperation and partnership with the United Nations’ system and with the international financial institutions to explore how the KP can contribute to the implementation of the UN Sustainable Development Goals; working towards an agreement on ensuring the effectiveness of the KP scheme and further strengthening its implementation and enforcement, and renewing and reinforcing engagement with Industry and Civil Society by actively promoting an open, constructive and substantial dialogue among the three constitutive pillars of the KP.
“We also would stress on the continuity of good work together as Vice Chair and the Chair one after the other which will not only be in the interest of continuity but also strengthen the KP as was done during our successive Chairpersonships in 2007 and 2008 earlier,” notes the Joint Secretary of the Department of Commerce and Head of the Indian Delegation to the KP Intersessional Meeting Manoj Dwivedi.
Dwivedi says that a formal application to this effect will be moved by India and EU after the Chair formally calls for applications for Vice Chair of 2017.
