For the first time in the history of the Kimberley Process (KP), the participating countries were unable to agree on a final communiqué wrapping up the 2023 Zimbabwean chairmanship. This unprecedented event was engineered by Western countries that until the last minute struggled to include the Ukrainian narrative in the draft communiqué.
Alexey Moiseev, FM-Russia said, we have repeatedly warned our opponents about the unacceptability of politicizing the KP and eroding its mandate outlined by existing rules and procedures. Russia’s call to stop attacks on its diamond mining and attempts to impose unjustified restrictions on trade in Russian diamonds was supported by the majority of diamond-producing countries in Africa.
Not a single participant outside the Western bloc spoke out in support of the aggressive rhetoric of the West; moreover, many spoke out for the immediate cessation of attempts to politicize the forum and against the deliberate undermining by a rabid minority of the foundations on which the work of the Kimberley Process is based to the detriment of substantive issues on the agenda of the chairmanship of our friend Zimbabwe.
And there were many such issues, including the launch of the permanent KP secretariat in Botswana, and the discussion of practical steps to implement the, Declaration On Supporting Principles for Responsible Diamond Sourcing as Best Practices (Frame 7)- adopted during the Russian chairmanship, the lifting of the embargo imposed on rough diamond exports from the CAR, the election of Belarus as vice-chairman of the KP for 2024, and many other practical and organizational issues that are important for ensuring the sustainable development of the global diamond industry and its regulation.
Unfortunately for the global diamond industry, Western countries did not have the courage to listen to the voice of reason and disrupted the adoption of the final communiqué, just as we had warned in our letter to all KP participants.
This only proves our concerns that Western countries are seeking to erode the purview of the KP, distort its goals and objectives, and bend the existing rules and procedures to suit their unilateral interests at the expense of the others. This directly threatens the real work of the KP, which is carried out for the benefit of its participating states, local communities and the entire diamond industry.
Unilateral non-market and politically motivated actions can only cause significant damage to the diamond industry worldwide. As we have always noted, the imposition of restrictive measures on the world’s largest supplier will inevitably lead to widespread market distortions that will hit the most vulnerable the hardest. For many countries and local communities, the gains achieved through the KP will be erased.
Unprecedentedly aggressive intervention will mean the spread of harsh practices of “wild capitalism” with unpredictable consequences. Western countries are playing with Pandora’s Box – it comes easy to them, since at stake is the prosperity and well-being of the countries of the global South. This was clearly stated by many of our fellow African diamond producers during the Plenary debate.
It is clear to them, as it is to us, that the deliberate distortion of the global diamond market and the consistent undermining of the KP, combined with the development of market-constraining geopolitical practices and their economic consequences, could lead to increased social unrest and insurgency in certain regions, bringing suffering to local communities in developing countries that mine and cut diamonds.
Heera Zhaveraat (HZ International) A Diamond, Watch and Jewellery Trade Promotion Magazine provide dealers and manufactures with the key analytical information they need to succeed in the luxury industry. Pricing, availability and market information in the Magazine provides a critical edge.
