Civil Society Coalition Calls On KP Chair To 'Champion Reform Agenda'

(IDEX Online) – Members of the Civil Society Coalition in the Kimberley Process met in Antwerp last week "to reflect on its role in the Kimberley Process and on broader diamond governance".

Representatives from nine member organizations from Africa and Europe participated in the meeting, according to a statement sent by Zuzia Danielski, the Communications Director of IMPACT, formerly Partnership Africa-Canada who said that Shamiso Mtisithe of the Zimbabwe Environmental Law Association (ZELA) will be coordinating the work of the Coalition.

"During this meeting, important points were widely discussed among Coalition members and in side-sessions with the current KP Chair and the President of the WDC, including the participation of the Coalition in the Kimberley Process and its operational management subsequent to IMPACT’s withdrawal.

"The Coalition reaffirmed that its core mandate in both the KP and as it relates to broader diamond governance is to defend the rights of local communities affected by diamond mining activities. The Coalition is also greatly concerned by continued human rights violations which include killings, torture, displacements and environmental impacts directly linked to diamond mining activities. Consequently, the coalition is deeply concerned that the Kimberley Process continues to ignore the human cost of diamond mining and trade.

"Unfortunately, the concerns raised by civil society, a key pillar of the KP, have been largely ignored by KP participants and industry. It is our hope that the EU as the current KP chair will champion the reform agenda resulting in a widening of the definition of conflict diamonds adapted to local realities. We also expect that the EU will continue working to secure and enlarge space for civil society to meaningfully engage within the KP and to be treated seriously and respectfully by other KP members and observers."