Noting that the Kimberley Process (KP) had succeeded in its original task of protecting world markets from conflict diamonds, and thus almost completely removing conflict from those areas that mined diamonds, World Diamond Council (WDC) President Andrey Polyakov said however, “Today, the industry faces another challenge — the issue of origin guarantees.”

Polyakov, who is a Vice President of Russian diamond mining major ALROSA, was speaking at the Kimberley Process Intersessional Meet in Perth, Western Australia. This is the first KP meeting under Australia’s Presidency of the organisation.

Observing that the new challenge could not be met by the diamond industry alone, and required the participation of the African nations where diamonds were mined artisanally, Polyakov went on to say, “The industry as always must continue its efforts to ensure best practices within the whole diamond pipeline. But industry representatives cannot do this alone. We call upon all diamond mining countries, especially the most vulnerable ones, to also ensure the implementation of best practices. It is only together that we shall gain and maintain the full confidence of the consumer.”

He added, “Today the World Diamond Council conducts continual efforts to improve the System of Warranties, designed to extend the confirmation of non-conflict origin down through the diamond pipeline. We understand that the existing System of Warranties is far from being perfect, and we welcome the constructive criticism that we hear from colleagues within the industry.”

Polyakov asked the KP to consider its own evolution, throwing his weight behind the proposals for a permanent UN secretariat for the organisation and a multi-donor fund for observer NGOs. “Last year, many other interesting proposals, to improve the KP, were introduced. Two of them specifically caught my attention — the proposal to establish a KP permanent secretariat and a multi-donor fund. As the industry representative, WDC recommends that these proposals be carefully considered, because they could significantly improve the KP’s activities if they were rightly implemented.”

Polyakov noted that regarding the permanent UN secretariat, the WDC had carried out similar work in the artisanal mining sector and would be happy to share its experience. “The creation of such a body could organise and structure all the processes and make them more predictable,” he said.

Polyakov went on to note, “As we discuss KP development, we must look beyond narrow administrative arrangements. All components related to origin of consumer products are rightfully questioned today. Science is constantly progressing in such a way that new technologies able to determine the mine origin of each diamond with a very high probability, could well become reality quite soon.”

He concluded, “These new technological methods would then improve the control over the origin and trafficking of rough diamonds and may be the basis for the future development of the KP. The multi-donor source of financial support and the creation of a professional secretariat will help industry and governments establish these processes.”

Optimistic about the progress being made on the new issue of origin guarantees, however, Polyakov said, “We hope that by the end of this year we shall be able to present an updated System of Warranty for your consideration. The creation of an effective system will be a significant industry contribution to strengthen consumer’s confidence and grow the excellent reputation of our product.”

As we discuss KP development, we must look beyond narrow administrative arrangements. All components related to origin of consumer products are rightfully questioned today. Science is constantly progressing in such a way that new technologies able to determine the mine origin of each diamond with a very high probability, could well become reality quite soon.

These new technological methods would then improve the control over the origin and trafficking of rough diamonds and may be the basis for the future development of the KP. The multi-donor source of financial support and the creation of a professional secretariat will help industry and governments establish these processes.

https://www.gemkonnect.com/news/kp-must-now-face-non-conflict-issues-origin-guarantees-polyakov