NGOs: Lack of Russian Statistics Compromises Progress

Two NGOs, Global Witness and Partnership Africa Canada, say Russia’s failure to provide diamond statistics puts its pending chairmanship of the Kimberley Process in 2005 “into serious doubt”. They also criticized the different ways member countries collect data.

The two groups say there are problems with internal controls in some of the countries that need to be discussed at the Ottawa meeting later this month, convened to assess the progress of the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme.

While countries were criticized because some use the information provided on the Kimberley Process Certificates for statistical data and others rely on information from customs, the majority of the disapproval was aimed at Russia.

“Russia’s non-compliance for almost two years on this key issue brings its proposed chairmanship of the Kimberley Process in 2005 into serious doubt,” said Corinna Gilfillan of Global Witness.

Legislation to declassify diamond data, currently a state secret, was passed in the Russian parliament months ago, but President Putin is yet to sign it into law.