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Oliver Kazunga Senior Business Reporter

ABOUT 400 delegates from 59 countries, including Zimbabwe, will next week converge in Victoria Falls for the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme (KPCS) summit where deliberations would focus, among others, on curtailing trading in ‘conflict diamonds’.

Last year, Zimbabwe assumed the KPCS chairmanship for 2023.

Established in 2003, following the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1459, the KPCS regulates trade in rough diamonds to increase transparency and eliminate trade in conflict diamonds.

Conflict diamonds are diamonds that originate from areas controlled by forces or factions opposed to legitimate and internationally recognised governments, and are used to fund military action in opposition to those governments, or in contravention of the decisions of the Security Council.

Mines and Mining Development Deputy Minister Dr Polite Kambamura said the KPCS plenary session, which begins from Monday to Sunday next week will see Zimbabwe as the current chair officially opening the event.

“A total of 59 countries are expected and 400 delegates are expected at the event. The event will be officially opened by the KPCS chair 2023, Zimbabwe.        

“The major issues to be discussed are definition of ‘conflict diamonds’, peer review visits to assess compliance, Kimberley Process Review Reform Cycle, and the establishment of a Kimberley Process permanent secretariat,” he said.

Discussions will also be centred on the admission of new members into the KPCS, resolution of restrictive measures in the Central Africa Republic, and the scheme’s 2023 Communique, which will be presented to the United Nations in March next year.

The KPCS is open to all countries that are willing and able to implement its requirements.

The KPCS has 59 participants, representing 85 countries with the European Union and its 27 member States counting as a single participant, represented by the European Commission.

KPCS members account for approximately 99,8 percent of the global production of rough diamonds.

Last year, Zimbabwe realised about 4,2 million carats of diamonds from Chiadzwa and fetched US$220 million.

According to GlobalData Research Centre, Zimbabwe was the world’s seventh-largest producer of diamonds in 2022.

Zimbabwe accounts for 3 percent of global production, with the largest producers being Russia, Botswana, Canada and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Active producers in Zimbabwe include Russian miner, Alrosa, RioZim-Murowa and Chinese firm, Anjin, which are allowed to extract diamonds in line with Zimbabwe’s new Diamond Policy.