Central African Republic Reinstated to KP After Decade-Long Absence

After an 11-year embargo, the Kimberley Process (KP) has readmitted the Central African Republic (CAR) as a full participant, bringing its membership to 60. 

The African country will now be able to export all of its rough diamonds through the KP, rather than only from a select group of “green zones,” or areas that comply with the KP’s rules. The KP suspended CAR in 2013 due to concerns that its diamonds were funding violence by rebels but reinstated the country after it came into compliance with the organization’s minimum requirements. 

“Amongst our most significant achievements is the readmission of the Central African Republic to the KP,” said the UAE’s Kimberley Process chair, Ahmed Bin Sulayem. “This decision highlights our commitment to inclusivity and to supporting member states on their journeys toward peace and prosperity. As we welcome CAR back, we renew our dedication to helping nations where diamonds can serve as a force for stability, development and empowerment.” 

The KP also admitted Uzbekistan as a new member at the November 15 plenary and appointed the World Diamond Council (WDC) to lead the KP’s efforts to fulfill its mandate of expanding the definition of a conflict diamond. The WDC will serve as facilitators in those discussions. 

“When the UAE assumed the KP chair, we committed to making 2024 a year of meaningful progress, not merely in words but through action. I am proud to say we have collectively honored that commitment with several landmark achievements, including the inauguration of the permanent KP secretariat in Botswana, the introduction of the proof of concept for the digitalization of the KP certificate, the historic intersessional plenary in May and, of course, the readmittance of Central African Republic into the KP family,” Sulayem added.

Image: The conclusion of the KP Plenary. (DMCC)

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