Delivered by: Mr. Ahmed Bin Sulayem, Chair of the Kimberley Process
Madam President,
Distinguished Delegates,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Good morning.
Twelve months ago, I stood before this Assembly to present the outcomes of the United Arab Emirates’ Chairmanship of the Kimberley Process under the theme “Year of Delivery”.
Today, I return to reflect on the progress sustained in 2025 under the UAE’s Custodian Chairmanship and the “Year of Best Practice”, and to introduce draft resolution A/80/L.53.
I extend my appreciation to the co-sponsors of the draft resolution, to all Kimberley Participants, and to industry representatives and civil society organisations as Observers, who uphold the Kimberley Process through its tripartite structure. This model remains the defining strength of the KP.
For two decades, the fundamental purpose and importance of the Kimberley Process has only been growing stronger.
It plays a critical role in breaking the link between the illicit trade in rough diamonds and armed conflict, setting a global example of transparency and accountability through its governance model.
As reflected in the draft resolution, the diamond sector remains a vital catalyst for economic and social development.
The KP has helped consolidate peace and improve the lives of millions of people in diamond-mining communities, especially in Africa, significantly contributing to the achievement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
In the Year of Best Practice, our task was to translate the gains of 2024 into stronger implementation, better working methods, and a more future-ready KP.
That meant strengthening compliance, reinforcing institutional continuity, and ensuring that the KP remains fit for purpose in an era that is moving faster than our processes. Standing before you today, I can confirm that we have delivered clear progress.
Leadership continuity is fundamental to the credibility and effectiveness of the KP. As the central authority, the Chair is responsible for setting direction and alignment, while ensuring it operates with clarity and purpose.
In the absence of a Vice-Chair elected in 2024, the Kimberley Process Family welcomed the UAE as Custodian Chair in 2025.
This was a deliberate and necessary decision to safeguard continuity and ensure the Process continued to function effectively without disruption.
Throughout 2025, the United Arab Emirates placed a clear focus on strengthening leadership continuity and reinforcing a more predictable and structured approach to governance within the Kimberley Process.
I would also like to express our sincere appreciation to Ghana for stepping forward as Vice Chair during the Dubai KP Plenary where this was duly approved – and to India for assuming the Chairmanship for 2026, following its nomination in December 2025.
The draft resolution correctly notes that the three-year review and reform cycle concluded in November 2025 – one of the most significant exercises undertaken by the Kimberley Process in recent years.
Several notable achievements were delivered.
We adopted measures to strengthen technical assistance for diamond-producing communities. We advanced the structural review of the KP with a view to addressing challenges faced by artisanal and small-scale miners. And we strengthened governance and working methods, including leadership arrangements and best practices for meetings.
Shared understanding of the importance of these issues was underscored by the Ministerial Meeting during the Dubai Kimberley Process Plenary, the first KP ministerial since Interlaken in 2002.
However, we must also recognise that, after three years of dedicated work, and despite serious and extensive efforts across the KP family, consensus on updating the definition on conflict diamonds was ultimately not reached.
The factors that led to this regrettable result and its ramifications have been noted, including in statements from Member States, civil society and industry.
The disappointment was palpable, including for African producers and communities, as was well-expressed in the statement by the African Diamond Producers Association.
As a result, the current definition, agreed more than 20 years ago, remains in force, covering rough diamonds used by rebel movements or their allies to finance conflict aimed at undermining legitimate Governments.
This does not close the discussion. We must all recommit to dialogue, engagement, and eventual progress in good faith.
At the same time, we must also be clear about how the Kimberley Process measures progress.
While a Final Communiqué was not adopted at Plenary, it is important to focus on what was achieved in substance. A communiqué is a useful political instrument, but it is not the only measure of progress.
In 2025, Participants reached agreement on a series of Administrative Decisions and endorsed outcomes across working bodies, grounded in consensus and built through sustained engagement.
The absence of a communiqué does not diminish the value of the Administrative Decisions or constrain what the Kimberley Process can achieve. While there is value in a final communiqué, the approach we adopted proved valuable in ensuring the Kimberley Process continues to move forward – avoiding delays and paralysis.
We hope this can serve as a best practice for overcoming any future gridlocks.
Looking ahead, the future of the Kimberley Process will be defined not only by governance, but by its ability to modernise.
Digitalisation has already been shaping global trade systems for decades. In 2026, it is unconscionable that we are not using the right technology. The Kimberley Process must catch up.
Under the UAE Chairmanship, we advanced this agenda through initiatives like Verifico, a secure digital certification platform designed to enhance traceability, efficiency and integrity within the KP framework.
The direction is clear: the KP should lead, not follow. Verifico has been in pilot phase for six months and will be donated by the UAE to the KP Family.
As digitalisation advances, technical assistance for Participants, particularly those with reduced capacity, funds and resources, will be essential to ensuring that the system remains inclusive and globally credible – and that diamond communities further benefit from legitimate trade.
Another critical element for future progress will be how AI – or as I prefer to call it, extended intelligence – can support and strengthen the KP.
The session in Dubai, on Best Practice in the Age of Artificial Intelligence, opened this discussion, and helped identify potential applications in areas such as document verification, anomaly detection, risk analysis and support for compliance monitoring.
For the KP, this points to opportunities to modernise processes and to reinforce compliance and certificate integrity.
The path forward available to us is clear: pilot programmes, harmonised data standards, and a phased integration of AI into all the KP Family’s verification systems. This is about ensuring that the Kimberley Process does not become a museum of good intentions.
In that context, I personally thank India for continuing this effort, as outlined during the Working Body Chairs’ Consultation Meeting in Cape Town during Mining Indaba.
Madam President,
Distinguished Delegates,
The draft resolution before us reflects this balance – reinforcing the KP’s mandate, supporting its continued strengthening, and underscoring the need for the KP to remain relevant for the future.
But beyond the text, the broader point is clear. The KP continues to provide transparency, accountability, and confidence in the legitimate diamond trade. This supports stability and development in producing countries, and a valuable model of cooperation among Governments, industry and civil society.
Looking ahead, it is our collective responsibility not simply to preserve this system, but to strengthen and evolve it, so that it remains credible, effective and responsive to the realities ahead.
I would like to thank all delegations for their continued engagement and partnership.
I hereby submit the draft resolution to the Assembly.
Thank you.