Covid-19 obstructed Russia KP Chair!

Postponement of Russia's Chairmanship to 2021

Botswana's Chairmanship to 2022 

Recently Kimberly announced their Administrative Decision on the postponement of Russia’s Chairmanship to 2021 and Botswana’s Chairmanship to 2022 was approved under written procedure, as it received support of 46 Participants and no written objections were filed by the deadline of August 18, 2020.

De facto 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. 

In the year 2019 India remained the Chair of KPCS with Russian Federation as Vice Chair for the year 2019. The closing session of the KPCS held on 22nd November 2019 in New Delhi and India where India to hand over the KP Chair to the Russian Federation for the year of 2020. 

Yet, pandemic Covid-19 closed the globe virtually and stalled diamond business! In the row KP Administration said, “Herewith the Chairmanhip of the Russian Federation will be postponed to 2021, as well as the Chairmanship of Botswana to 2022.”