Israeli Diamond Portal Reports: Just How Effective is the Kimberley Process?

Sept. 6, 2009 - PRLog -- The Kimberley Process has come under fire recently. Various NGO’s accuse it of being ineffective and too lenient when dealing with non-compliant countries.



In an exclusive interview, World Diamond Council (WDC) Chairman and CEO Eli Izhakoff addresses these charges. He underscores that the Kimberley Process and the World Diamond Council must allow for due process and basic fairness. And factually, he notes, the Kimberley Process has eradicated over 99% of illicit trade in conflict diamonds worldwide.



Nevertheless, he admits to being frustrated by certain aspects of KP and readily agrees that there are changes that need to be made: “In the KP, every resolution must be reached by consensus. When you are dealing with over 70 countries this is nearly impossible. When the consensus is finally reached, the result is often a watered down version of the original proposal attained only after many delays. I would suggest considering the possibility of shifting from a consensus to two-thirds majority of the membership.”



Izhakoff also suggests setting up a secretariat of two or three professionals which would ensure a smooth transition of the chairmanship (which changes on an annual basis) as well as the ability to maintain proper ongoing records.



In recent months the KP’s way of handling the problematic situation in Zimbabwe has been severely criticized. There have been calls to suspend Zimbabwe permanently from the KP rather than for only 6 months. We asked how the WDC stands on this issue.



Eli Izhakoff replies: “The WDC is fully engaged in working to address KP compliance matters pertaining to Zimbabwe. The circumstances in Zimbabwe are unique and require special consideration by the KP. For one thing, the compliance issues there pertain to diamonds that are being smuggled out from only one producing region (out of a total of three) by illicit traders. In addition, these diamonds do not strictly fit the definition of ‘conflict diamonds’.”



He adds that because any threat to the diamond supply chain is a threat to the integrity of the KP, the WDC has called upon participant governments to fully enforce laws already in place that ban smuggling. It has additionally called upon international institutions that engage in investigations of humanitarian rights violations to address allegations of violence by the government of Zimbabwe against persons operating in the one diamond producing area that is ‘owned’ by the state.  



Izhakoff emphasizes: “Furthermore, the WDC is participating in a KP review of allegations of non-compliance with KP minimum standards by Zimbabwe, and will join with the relevant bodies to recommend steps for Zimbabwe to come back into compliance.”  



We asked Eli Izhakoff how the KP is dealing with ongoing diamond smuggling in countries like Brazil, the Ivory Coast, Venezuela and Guinea.



Izhakoff stresses: “The KP’s capacity to address issues of smuggling is only a supplement to criminal laws already in place worldwide that forbid illicit trade. The WDC continues to call upon governments to enforce these laws that make these activities criminal. Enforcement has to be stepped up, made more robust and given a higher priority worldwide. WDC continues to work with KP bodies addressing non–compliance in countries such as Venezuela, Lebanon, Guinea and others and engaging with them to bring them back into full compliance.”



What about claims that the KP is “dragging its feet” when dealing with certain violators?



Izhakoff dismisses this allegation and notes: “While the WDC (along with the international community) hopes that deterrent actions can be swift, there are procedural requirements built in to the KP system to ensure fairness and due process. These procedural steps should be followed, but the WDC is working to ensure that they are fulfilled in the shortest possible time frame.”

 

We noted that the KP does not have a mandate to bar diamond exports due to human rights violations and child labor. Conflict diamonds are defined as the source of income used to fund terror activity and civil war. Do you think that the KP should revise these criteria and include human rights infringements as grounds for suspension?



Izhakoff replies that this issue is on the agenda for the plenary session to be held in November in Namibia. The KP intends to seek to ensure that infringements of human rights violations in diamond producing areas do not occur. Of course, such activity is already addressed by a number of UN conventions and by criminal laws within the countries where such acts take place.

 

And finally, we noted that next year Israel is to chair the Kimberley Process. What would you suggest are the most important issues that Israel, as chairman, should facilitate?



Izhakoff notes that during the coming year, there are a number of issues that need to be resolved: Increased government oversight for traders of rough diamonds to ensure that regulations already in place are enforced is a high priority. Continued technical assistance to countries struggling with compliance must also be addressed. This would include bringing into the KP family certain countries that are well-known centers for illicit diamond trade in regions throughout the world.



As to Israel’s role, Izhakoff called on the world’s leading diamond industry to be a more assertive spokesperson for the KP and for its role in protecting the rough diamond trade.

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