The Kimberley Process is called upon to advance its reform path to ensure its importance and effectiveness amid the ongoing evolution of the diamond supply chain, including expanding the definition of conflict-related diamonds. It is noted that the United Arab Emirates became the first and only Arab country to chair the Kimberley Process in 2016. The Kimberley Process remains a unique three-part initiative, bringing together governments, the diamond industry, and civil society around a common goal: to prevent conflict diamonds from entering global trade chains. Under the UAE's leadership, governance frameworks and operational mechanisms were strengthened, including leadership arrangements and the adoption of best practices for meetings. Limiting the Kimberley Process to a narrow scope focused solely on conflict diamonds overlooks its broader role as a catalyst for development, trade, and investment, as well as an enabler of international cooperation in the extractive industries sector. The process also plays a central role as a driver of economic growth and a guardian of environmental sustainability. The UK representative thanked the UAE for its distinguished leadership of the Kimberley Process during the 'Year of Best Practices'. He highlighted that the process has achieved significant milestones since its inception and reaffirmed the UK's steadfast commitment to continuing its support for efforts to sever the link between diamonds and conflicts, contributing to international peace and security, and uplifting communities. The US representative also expressed appreciation to the UAE for its active role in facilitating the process's work. He outlined the future path, which includes launching pilot programs, unifying data standards, and adopting a phased approach to integrating artificial intelligence into the Kimberley Process's various verification systems. Several countries, in their statements to the UN General Assembly, commended the UAE's efforts during its presidency of the Kimberley Process as the 'Guardian' for 2025. The Zimbabwean representative congratulated the UAE on the success of its presidency of the Kimberley Process for issuing origin certificates as the Guardian for 2025 and its pivotal role in facilitating negotiations on the resolution before them. He emphasized the international consensus on the importance of these issues, demonstrated by the ministerial meeting held on the sidelines of the Kimberley Process Plenary in Dubai, which was the first ministerial meeting of the Process since Interlaken in 2002. Under the UAE's leadership, significant progress was made on the digital transformation path through qualitative initiatives, including the Verifico platform—a secure digital platform for issuing certificates designed to enhance traceability, efficiency, and integrity within the Kimberley Process system. The use of AI technology is a fundamental pillar in supporting and enhancing the Process's work in the future. The session in Dubai, titled 'Best Practices in the Age of AI,' was a pivotal moment for this discussion, contributing to the identification of promising application areas. The Kimberley Process, established by the UN in 2003, has 81 participating countries seeking to ensure that rough diamonds that help finance wars do not enter the legitimate diamond market. Ahmed bin Sulayem, Chair of the Kimberley Process representing the UAE as the 'Guardian,' delivered a high-level briefing to the UN General Assembly in New York, where he outlined the key achievements of the UAE's presidency for 2025 under the 'Year of Best Practices' initiative. He also addressed the resolution led by the UAE, titled 'The Role of Diamonds in Fuelling Conflicts,' which was unanimously adopted by the UN General Assembly. This resolution, co-sponsored by 50 countries, reflects the key outputs and decisions reached during the UAE's presidency, reinforcing the Kimberley Process's mission to cement a world of diamond trade free of conflicts. It also embodies international recognition of the UAE's pivotal achievements during its 2025 presidency, including launching technical assistance initiatives to support diamond-producing communities, strengthening governance frameworks and operational mechanisms, and making significant progress on the structural review of the Kimberley Process to address the challenges faced by artisanal and small-scale mining communities. Although the resolution is not legally binding, it cements the international commitment to enhancing the trade in conflict-free diamonds and reaffirms the UAE's pivotal leadership role in driving the Kimberley Process forward and amplifying its global impact. In his speech to the UN General Assembly, Ahmed bin Sulayem said: 'In the "Year of Best Practices," our mission was to build on the gains of 2024, transforming them into more robust applications and more efficient operational mechanisms, as well as enhancing the Kimberley Process's readiness for the future. This included enhancing compliance levels, cementing the sustainability of the institutional work, and ensuring the Process remains capable of keeping pace with rapid changes where the pace of evolution sometimes outstrips existing procedural frameworks. I am pleased to confirm that we have achieved tangible and clear progress on this path.' Bin Sulayem highlighted a package of innovative initiatives implemented under the UAE's presidency for 2025, saying: 'We have achieved a series of prominent accomplishments, adopting qualitative measures to enhance the technical assistance provided to diamond-producing communities and making tangible progress on the structural review of the Kimberley Process to address the challenges faced by artisanal and small-scale mining communities. The UAE chaired the Kimberley Process for the second time in its history in 2024 and will continue to lead it as the Guardian for 2025 under the leadership of Ahmed bin Sulayem, Executive Chairman and CEO of DMCC.'
