Zimbabwe Group to Lead KP Civil Society Process, 4 March 2018

The Civil Society Coalition (CSC) of the Kimberley Process (KP) has appointed the Zimbabwe Environmental Law Association (ZELA) as its leader, according to a statement on the KP website. ZELA will take over the leadership from Impact — formerly Partnership Africa Canada — which left the Kimberley Process in December, claiming the organization was ineffective in policing the diamond supply chain. The CSC made the decision at a meeting in Antwerp last month, which World Diamond Council (WDC) president Stéphane Fischler and KP chair Hilde Hardeman also attended. Other discussions at the meeting included the coalition’s continued participation in the KP, the effects of diamond mining on local communities, and human-rights violations.