Civil Society Pushes Kimberley Process to Refocus on Conflict, Communities and Credibility
At the closing of the 2026 Kimberley Process Intersessional Meeting in Mumbai, the Kimberley Process Civil Society Coalition delivered a strong appeal for the diamond certification body to return to its founding mission: preventing diamonds from financing violence and conflict.
In remarks delivered by Farai Maguwu, civil society warned against efforts to transform the Kimberley Process (KP) into a branding and marketing platform for natural diamonds while communities in mining areas continue to face violence, environmental harm, economic exclusion, and weak accountability.
The Coalition argued that the credibility of the KP depends not on advertising campaigns, but on whether it can effectively confront conflict financing, human rights abuses, illicit trade, and governance failures linked to the diamond sector.
Civil society called for urgent reforms to the definition of “conflict diamonds,” noting that violence committed by state actors, private companies, or armed groups has the same impact on affected communities. The Coalition warned that delaying reforms until the next review cycle in 2028 risks undermining the relevance and legitimacy of the KP.
The remarks also emphasized the importance of responsible sourcing frameworks that prioritize mining communities rather than focusing solely on consumer confidence. The Coalition urged participants to improve transparency across the diamond supply chain, strengthen traceability systems, and ensure that artisanal and small-scale miners are not excluded by costly or inaccessible technologies.
A major focus of the intervention was the need for greater transparency in diamond trade statistics. Opening KP trade data to public scrutiny, civil society argued, could help expose illicit financial flows, transfer mispricing, smuggling, and trade-based money laundering while restoring trust in the certification scheme.
The Coalition further welcomed more open discussions within the Working Group on Artisanal and Alluvial Production and ongoing regional dialogue efforts in Central Africa, describing them as examples of the kind of honest engagement needed within the Kimberley Process.
In closing, the Civil Society Coalition challenged participants to add a fourth “C” to the KP’s current priorities of “Confidence, Compliance and Credibility” — a “C” for Commitment. According to the Coalition, genuine credibility begins witha commitment to impacted communities, institutional reform, and honest acknowledgment of the shortcomings that continue to affect the global diamond trade.
The remarks also stressed the importance of adequately funding the Kimberley Process Secretariat, warning that without sufficient support, the professionalization and effectiveness of the KP could be jeopardized.