EU and India Coordinate Proposal for KP Chair in 2018/2019
May 29, 16(IDEX Online News) – European Union and Indian official representatives who took part in the recent Kimberley Process (KP) Intercessional meeting in Dubai made a coordinated proposal with ramifications for the position of KP chair and vice chair.
According to the Gem and Jewelry Export Promotion Council (GJEPC), the proposal stated that the EU would assume responsibility as KP vice chair in 2017 and KP chair in 2018, while India would become KP vice chair in 2018 and KP chair in 2019.
EU delegation head to the KP Tung-Lai Margue said that the two delegations had drawn up the proposal to attempt to avoid any acrimony with regard to the assumption of the positions of chair and vice chair – as had previously been the case. He added that providing continuity, with a continuous program based around shared priorities between consecutive chairs would supply much-needed stability.
Margue outlined several shared goals between the EU and India. These include, forging consensus during the next review cycle to reach agreement on a number of shared priorities that we think will ensure the KP becomes stronger and more effective, enhance cooperation with the United Nations and with international financial institutions, strengthening the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme implementation and enforcement and renew and reinforce the engagement with Industry and Civil Society by promoting dialog among the three constitutive pillars of the KP.