The European Commission sees the effectiveness of internal controls in KP participant countries as the key challenge to KP effectiveness, says Mrs Ferrero-Waldner the European Commission’s Commissioner for its Neighbourhood Policy.
The KP has undertaken actions to strengthen internal controls and to disseminate best practice, but implementation capacity remains a concern, especially in fragile countries, she explains.
The EC, which remains strongly committed to the Kimberley Process and actively supports the KP’s ongoing efforts to eliminate the trade in conflict diamonds, is confident that the KP Certification Scheme has, since it came into operation in 2003, played an important role in the significant reduction of the trade in conflict diamonds which has occurred.
Ferrero-Waldner notes estimates that conflict diamonds represent less than 1% of global diamond production with the only known source of conflict diamonds, in northern Côte d’Ivoire, under UN sanctions and closely monitored by the KP.
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- Kimberley process: The EU urges further efforts to overcome the impasse regarding the implementation of the KP in Zimbabwe’s Marange diamond fields
- United Nations General Assembly Reaffirms Strong Support for Kimberley Process Certification Scheme; Israel Recognised as Chair Despite Objection Raised by Syria
- Kimberley Process: Agreement reached on Zimbabwe’s diamond exports
