Kimberley Process Fails Again to Expand Definition of Conflict Diamonds
Kimberley Process Stalls for Third Year Over Conflict Diamond Reform Amid Global Criticism
The Kimberley Process (KP) has, for the third consecutive year, failed to agree on an expanded definition of conflict diamonds following a five-day plenary in Dubai.
Delegates from 86 member countries attended with hopes that long-delayed reforms would finally move forward. Pressure to modernize the conflict diamond definition has grown since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, and media reports suggested negotiators were nearing a breakthrough.
Feriel Zerouki, president of the World Diamond Council (WDC), opened the plenary by warning that the KP stands at a crossroads and called on members to advance the system. Despite these efforts, consensus collapsed.
The WDC expressed profound regret that a small group of participants blocked reforms designed to better protect African diamond-mining communities.
Proposed Reforms
The KP’s Review and Reform Committee spent three years drafting what the WDC described as the most ambitious overhaul in over two decades. Key elements of the proposed definition included:
Expanding coverage to violence by militias, mercenaries, organized criminal networks, private military and security companies, and other non-state actors.
Formally recognizing the rights and protections of mining communities within the KP’s mandate.
Including armed conflict and systematic or widespread violence as actions triggering KP oversight.
The WDC noted that the research supporting the proposal was widely shared and uncontested. However, progress stalled not due to evidence or language disputes, but because a minority of members attempted to involve the KP in matters beyond its authority, such as state decisions and national security. Zerouki highlighted that this stance suggested the safety of African miners was being deprioritized.
A large majority of members supported the reforms, emphasizing that the failure was due to a small minority, not the KP itself. Zerouki called on participants to turn disappointment into accountability, stressing the organization must remain credible for the communities it aims to protect.
Rising Global Scrutiny
The Dubai setback comes amid increasing external criticism. Earlier this month, IMPACT, a human rights organization overseeing natural resource management, argued that the KP’s structure and track record render it a poor model for responsible mineral governance.
IMPACT highlighted persistent challenges within the KP, including conflict, human rights abuses, smuggling, and corruption, while noting that other sectors have adopted due-diligence approaches that place responsibility on companies rather than governments. The Kimberley Process Civil Society Coalition echoed these concerns after the Dubai meeting.
The repeated failure to modernize the KP underscores the ongoing struggle to protect miners and ensure ethical sourcing in the global diamond trade.
