Blood diamonds: Botswana wins bid to host anti-conflict diamond watchdog

Botswana, the world’s second-largest diamond producer, has won its bid to host the permanent secretariat of the Kimberley Process (KP), the grouping that certifies that diamonds are not used to fund rebel groups.
The KP, a coalition of governments, the diamond industry and civil society representatives, said in a statement on Monday (7 November) it had unanimously elected Botswana to host the secretariat, which is expected to become operational by 2024. Botswana announced earlier this year it was vying to host a permanent new headquarters and secretariat for the KP that was established in 2003. The southern African nation was competing against China and Austria to host the watchdog’s permanent secretariat. The body defines conflict diamonds as gems used to fund rebel movements seeking to undermine legitimate governments.
Botswana Diamond Hub coordinator Jacob Thamage, who handed over the rotational chairmanship of the KP to Zimbabwe over the weekend, told the media before last week’s plenary that Austria had pulled out of the bidding process, leaving Botswana and China in the race. The 85-nation body was established to eliminate trade in conflict diamonds. Although it says it has made progress in halting such trade, the civil society organizations linked to the industry have been demanding reforms. Although the diamond watchdog claims to have made significant progress in halting the trade in conflict diamonds, the NGOs linked to the industry have been demanding the redefinition of conflict diamonds to include human rights abuses. After it invaded Ukraine in February, Russia drew sharp criticism from civil society, which is pushing to broaden the KP’s definition of conflict diamonds to include state actors using the stones to fund acts of aggression.