Israel will assume chairmanship of the Kimberley Process (KP) in 2010, a year during which the eyes of the diamond industry will be focused on Zimbabwe and stemming the flow of conflict diamonds.
The announcement came at the KP’s latest meeting, held in Namibia earlier this month. Boaz Hirsch, deputy director general for foreign trade at Israel’s Ministry of Industry, Trade, and Labor, will serve as chair.
Minister of Industry, Trade, and Labor Benjamin Ben-Eliezer celebrated the appointment. “Israel is proud to head the Kimberley Process, which improves the rights and lives of millions of people,” he said. “Israel’s assuming the chairmanship of the Kimberley Process attests to the central role the Israeli Diamond Industry plays in the international diamond trade.”
The appointment coincided with the news the KP would not suspend Zimbabwe, despite evidence of non-compliance, illegal smuggling, and human rights abuses in the Marange field that saw 200 people killed last year. Part of the agreement with the Zimbabwean government calls for a KP-appointed monitor to oversee shipments of diamonds from the field over the next 12 months prior to export.
World Diamond Council (WDC) chair Eli Izhakoff said the group supports the consensus reached by the KP’s member states, but adds “the diamond industry will be watching closely, along with the rest of the world, during the next 12 months to ensure this opportunity is not squandered.”
“This is a complicated and challenging issue, meaning there can be no perfect solution. However, this working plan represents robust and sincere action by the Kimberley Process to achieve the common objectives held by all of its participants.”
