Next week, some 400 delegates from 59 nations—among them Zimbabwe—will gather in Victoria Falls for the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme (KPCS) conference. Among other things, the discussions will centre on limiting the trade in “conflict diamonds.”
Zimbabwe took over as KPCS chairperson for 2023 last year.
In order to promote transparency and end the trade in conflict diamonds, the KPCS was established in 2003 in response to UN Security Council Resolution 1459.
Conflict diamonds are those that come from regions under the authority of groups or forces that resist acknowledged, legitimate governments on a global scale and are used to finance military operations against such countries or in defiance of Security Council resolutions.
Zimbabwe will formally inaugurate the KPCS plenary session, which runs from Monday to Sunday next week, according to Dr Polite Kambamura, Deputy Minister of Mines and Mining Development.
400 delegates from 59 different nations are anticipated for the gathering. Official opening remarks will be made by the KPCS chair from Zimbabwe in 2023.
The definition of “conflict diamonds,” peer review visits to evaluate compliance, the Kimberley Process Review Reform Cycle, and the creation of a permanent secretariat for the Kimberley Process are the main topics that need to be covered, he stated.
The KPCS’s 2023 Communique, which will be presented to the UN in March of next year, as well as the settlement of restrictive measures in the Central African Republic, will also be major topics of discussion.
All nations that are able and willing to carry out its conditions are welcome to join the KPCS.
With the European Union and its 27 member states counting as a single participant, the KPCS has 59 participants, representing 85 countries, with the European Commission serving as its representative.
Members of the KPCS make up over 99.8% of the world’s total rough diamond production.
About 4.2 million carats of diamonds were realised by Zimbabwe from Chiadzwa last year, and the proceeds brought in $220 million.
As per the GlobalData Research Centre, Zimbabwe ranked eighth globally in terms of diamond production in 2022.
Three percent of the world’s production is accounted for by Zimbabwe; the top producers are the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Botswana, Canada, and Russia.
According to Zimbabwe’s new Diamond Policy, Chinese company Anjin and Russian miner Alrosa are permitted to extract diamonds, making them active producers in the country. RioZim-Murowa is also a producer.
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