United Nations Headquarters

UN TO INCREASE EFFORTS TO END TRADE IN CONFLICT DIAMONDS

On March 7, the UN General Assembly has adopted a resolution “aimed at intensifying” the efforts made by the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme (KPCS) “to break links between the diamond trade and conflict”, according to a press release.

 

The draft resolution was introduced by Julie Bishop, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Australia, who said that the KPCS has made progress in cutting “the flow of diamonds to insurgencies and rebel groups”, noting that “young people today were three times more likely than older generations to avoid diamonds unless they had been responsibly sourced”. The resolution, however, states that more work needs to be done in this issue, and offers to establish “a dedicated secretariat and a multi‑donor trust fund to support broad‑based participation”.

 

Antonio Parenti, speaking on behalf of the European Union which chairs the KPCS in 2018, “pledged to use the 2018 Chairmanship to promote open dialogue among the three pillars of the Kimberley Process: Governments, industry and civil society”. He added: “Overall, the European Union would aim to strengthen the mechanism’s effectiveness in peacebuilding, conflict prevention and the promotion of in‑country due diligence”.

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