Mr. President,

I have the honour to speak on behalf of the European Union and its member states.

The Candidate Countries North Macedonia, Montenegro, Albania, Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova and Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the potential candidate country Georgia, align themselves with this statement.

The EU Member States are joining the consensus on this resolution today.

We congratulate Botswana for its good offices in building consensus. Let me also welcome the presence here today of his excellency Lemogang Kwape, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Botswana.

Conflict diamonds have played a major role in funding some of the most devastating civil wars in Africa. We have come a long way since the Kimberley Process was established. It has contributed to peace, security, and prosperity. It was constituted as a multilateral tool for conflict prevention, and it has had valuable developmental impact in improving the lives of people dependent on the trade in diamonds. This joint initiative of Governments, civil society, and industry has reinforced the message that diamonds belong to the communities that mine them, not to militias. For several countries and communities, in particular on the African continent, the Kimberley Process has made the difference between war and peace. We fully recognize the contribution of the Kimberley Process to the settlement of conflicts and the consolidation of peace, for example in Angola, Côte d’Ivoire, Liberia and Sierra Leone. Under its current, narrow definition, it has reduced the amount of “conflict diamonds” in the global diamond trade to less than 1%.

Since 2016, the EU has funded almost 10 million euros in projects aimed to reinforce governance in the diamond sector and the development of alternative livelihoods, for example through the Mano River Union - supporting cooperation among Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone,  and in the Central African Republic.

However, we must continue to work to reform the Kimberley Process. We should be guided by the words of his Excellency Festus G Mogae, former president of the Republic of Botswana who in this very room last year, during the special meeting of ECOSOC on March 18th stated that the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme is not as effective as when it was created, agreeing with those who demand that it should be looked at.

We are meeting in extraordinary times.

The Kimberley Process is facing unprecedented challenges. We must make sure that natural resources contribute to sustainable development and peace, instead of paying for weapons to aggress states, in violation of the UN Charter, sowing death and destruction. Within the Kimberley Process and everywhere else, we must continue to work to make sure that natural resources do not finance war or human rights abuses, but are a source of sustainable growth.

We need to seize the opportunity of the current review and reform cycle to broaden the definition of ‘conflict diamonds’ to capture the evolving nature of conflicts and the realities on the ground.

The Kimberley Process is deeply rooted in the full respect of State sovereignty. This resolution reminds us of “the obligations placed upon States by the Charter of the United Nations regarding the maintenance of international peace and security” and that “State sovereignty should be fully respected”. Hereby we cannot but condemn Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, enabled by Belarus. We are resolved in our unwavering solidarity with the people of Ukraine.

The EU has led for several years the work to reform the Kimberley Process in an exerted effort to help it remain relevant. We now face fresh challenges linked to the Kimberley Process’ role in conflict prevention and in protecting the communities suffering in war-torn countries.

For the KP to remain relevant and credible in a changing world, it is vital to ensure it can address wider situations of armed conflict, systemic violence or human rights violations related to or financed with trade in rough diamonds. That is a debate we need to have. The EU therefore makes a plea to the Kimberley Process to engage in an open dialogue and to bring its core conflict-prevention mandate that is at its heart to the current reform agenda.

Finally, on a positive note, the EU and its Member States welcome the Kimberley Process’ decision to establish the KP Secretariat in Gaborone, Botswana and look forward to working with Botswana in this endeavour.

We also look forward to working with Zimbabwe in 2023 as the current KP Chair.

Thank you, Mr. President.