KP Chair India to host 300 delegates on Monday!
KP
Intersessional Meeting 2019
Scheduled
to be held in Mumbai
To
run through 17th to 21st June, 2019
The
Intersessional meeting of Kimberley Process (KP) is being hosted by India from
17th to 21st June, 2019 in Mumbai. Besides meetings of different Working Groups
and Committees of the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme (KPCS), two
special forums regarding Diamond Terminology and Artisanal Mining – Small Steps
to Larger Outcomes, will be held during the Intersessional. Around 300
delegates from the Government of India and other participating countries,
industry and civil society will be attending the five-day Meeting.
India and the KPCS:
India
is one of the founder members of Kimberley Process Certification Scheme and is
the Chair of Kimberley Process for the year 2019 with Russian Federation as
Vice Chair. India had earlier chaired KPCS in the year 2008. Alok Vardhan
Chaturvedi, Director General, Directorate General of Foreign Trade, has been
designated as KP Chair 2019 and Rupa Dutta, Economic Adviser, Department of
Commerce, is India’s KP Focal Point.
At
present, KPCS has 55 members representing 82 countries including EU with 28
members. The Kimberley Process is chaired, on a rotating basis, by
participating countries. KP Vice-Chair is generally elected by KP Plenary each
year, who becomes the Chair in the next year.
Since
2003, India has been actively participating in the KPCS process and is a member
of all Working Groups of KP (except for Working Group on Artisanal and Alluvial
Production, WGAAP). Department of
Commerce is the nodal Department and Gem & Jewellery Export Promotion
Council (GJEPC) is designated as the KPCS Importing and Exporting Authority in
India. GJEPC is responsible for issuing KP Certificates and is also the
custodian of KP Certificates received in the country.
The
Kimberley Process is a joint initiative involving Government, international
diamond industry and civil society to stem the flow of Conflict Diamonds.
Conflict Diamonds means rough diamonds used by rebel movements or their allies
to finance conflict aimed at undermining legitimate governments. It is also described in United Nations
Security Council (UNSC) Resolutions.
In
1998, certain rebel movements in Africa (Sierra Leone, Angola, Democratic
Republic of Congo, Liberia) were selling, among other things, illegally
obtained diamonds – known as Conflict Diamonds – to fund their wars against
legitimate governments. With a view to find ways to stop trade in Conflict
Diamonds, world’s diamond industry, United Nations, Governments and leading
NGOs came together and in November 2002 at Interlaken, Switzerland, where the
final draft of the Kimberley Process measures was ratified by more than fifty
countries.
The
KPCS came into effect from 1st January, 2003 and evolved into an effective
mechanism for stopping the trade in Conflict Diamonds.
Functioning of KPCS:
In
accordance with the KP core document, the work of the Kimberley Process is
carried out through the following six Working Groups and Committees:
1:
Working Group on Monitoring (WGM) - Assigned the task of carrying out a review
of the working of the scheme in each participant country through review
visit/review missions and gives its recommendations.
2:
Working Group on Statistics (WGS) - Collects data in respect of export, import
and production of rough diamonds in the participant countries.
3:
Working Group on Diamond Experts (WGDE) - Solves technical problems in the
implementation of the KPCS like proposing changes to the ‘Harmonised System
Codes' for rough diamonds to World Customs Organisation and harmonisation of
valuation methodologies.
4:
Working Group on Artisanal and Alluvial Production (WGAAP) - To promote more
effective internal controls on the production and trade of alluvial diamonds.
5:
Committee on Participation and Chairmanship (CPC) - Assists the Chair of the
Kimberley Process in handling the admission of new participants and advises if
a participant fail to comply with minimum requirements. It also reviews and
assesses candidates for the position of Vice-Chair and presents its
recommendation/findings at the plenary meeting.
The participant selected as Vice-Chair becomes Chair the following year.
6:
Committee on Rules and Procedure (CRP) - KP rules and procedure are devised and
modified by the Committee.
In
addition, an Ad Hoc Committee on Review and Reform (AHCRR) was created in
Brisbane, Australia, Plenary of KPCS in 2017, with India as its Chair, to
review the KPCS core document and examine ways to enhance administrative and
financial support to the Process, including consideration of a Secretariat and
a voluntary multi-donor fund to support participation from Least Developed
Countries, civil society and experts who implement the work. During the Belgium
Plenary 2018, India relinquished chairmanship of AHCRR in view of taking
responsibility of KP Chair 2019 and Angola was selected as Chair and Canada as
Vice Chair of AHCRR.
The
working groups and committees discuss issues on regular basis through
teleconferences and exchange of mails, and meet twice in a year for in-person
meeting at Intersessional and Plenary meetings organized by KP Chair. Further,
based on requirement, other in-person meetings may also be organized by Working
Group Chair. The KPCS works on principle of consensus and all the decisions are
taken in Plenary session or through written procedure unanimously by all
members.
Rough diamond trading under the KPCS:
As
per the Scheme, each shipment of rough diamonds being exported and imported by
crossing an international border be transported in a tamper proof container and
accompanied by a validated Kimberley Process Certificate. The shipment can only
be exported to a co-participant country in the KPCS. No uncertified shipments
of rough diamonds are permitted to enter a participant country.
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