Africa-Press – Angola. The Central African Republic was readmitted last weekend in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, as a member of the Kimberley Process, during the Plenary Meeting of the Certification System, after a decade of prohibition on trading rough diamonds abroad.The reintegration of the Central African Republic took place on the sidelines of Dubai Diamond Week, during the Plenary of the Kimberley Process Organization Certification Scheme, which kicked off last Tuesday.
Speaking to the press, the Minister of Mines and Geology of the Central African Republic, Rufin Benam-Beltoungou, expressed his satisfaction with the reintegration of his country as a member of the Kimberley Process and the lifting of all export restrictions on rough diamonds.
“I extend the compliments of the Central African Republic to the Honourable Ahmed Bin Sulayem, Chair of the Kimberley Process, for his exemplary leadership, courage and determination in upholding the integrity and credibility of the Kimberley Process,” he noted.
According to the President of the World Diamond Council, Feriel Zerouki, the Kimberley Process thrives on the joint work of its members, guided by innovation, transparency and shared responsibility.
“I am proud to say that this week, despite the challenges, commitments to the Kimberley Process mandate were reaffirmed and we showed significant progress in modernizing our practices,” he said.
In addition to the efforts of the president of the Kimberley Process, Angola also played a fundamental role in the reintegration of the CAR into the great family of the diamond industry, by undertaking a series of actions on its diplomatic agenda, with the members of the organization and as the main mediator in the resolution of conflicts in the Great Lakes Region.
The coordinator of the Angolan commission of the Kimberley Process Certification System, Estanislau Buio, who led the delegation to the event, praised all the support and conditions created by the Executive so that the work could take place without any problems, because, according to him, the longevity of the sanctions imposed prevented the CAR from being able to freely market its diamonds and benefit a population that has suffered for more than a decade.
Another important factor that occurred during the meeting of the Kimberley Process members was the admission of Uzbekistan as the newest member of the organization.
For diamond analysts, Uzbekistan’s admission is an indicator of the consolidation of the organization, whose rotating presidency will continue to be held by the United Arab Emirates until 2025 on an interim basis, due to the lack of consensus on the replacement and the non-existence of a vice-presidential position.
During the plenary session, the launch of the proof of concept for the digitalization of the Kimberley Process was defined for the near future, carried out by the United Arab Emirates, as custodian president (interim) until 2025, a year in which it commits to working in harmony in favor of best practices.
Significant progress
The UAE’s Kimberley Process Chairman, Ahmed Bin Sulayem, reiterated his commitment to working towards achieving significant progress while he holds the interim chairmanship in 2025.
Ahmed Bin Sulayem urged members of the organization not to limit themselves to mere words but to guide themselves through actions.
“I am proud to say that we have collectively delivered on this commitment with several landmark achievements, including the inauguration of the permanent Kimberley Process Secretariat in Botswana, the introduction of the proof of concept for the digitalisation of the KP certificate, the historic intersectional plenary in May and, of course, the readmission of the Central African Republic. This latest decision is among our proudest achievements for the UAE Handover Year, reinforcing our efforts to support nations where diamonds can serve as a force for stability, development and empowerment,” he highlighted.
The Kimberley Process (KP) Plenary brought together hundreds of representatives from across the diamond world, including industry, governments and civil society. It is worth noting that the admission of Uzbekistan as a member for the first time brought the total number of members to 60.
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