“On the eve of this plenary, the civil society coalition feels the need to highlight the significance of forthcoming talks not only to the KP as a multilateral forum but also as a mechanism to combat conflict diamonds and further good governance.”
“I stand before you today as part of the third pillar of what was once a trailblazing multilateral stakeholder forum. That forum was tasked with a dual purpose: to prevent the flow of conflict diamonds and reassure consumers of the same. The KP civil society coalition’s role in achieving this comes from its strong contribution to supporting technical implementation in artisanal producer states –highlighted in the African Regional approach and our members’ work in their respective countries. However, crucially, it also comes from its unique and indispensible role in guaranteeing KP credibility by acting as the mechanism’s watchdog. Here, its combination of southern hemisphere members close to ASM communities and northern hemisphere members
closer to consumers is key to translating such messaging. It is only by openly and critically highlighting KP failings and suggesting areas for improvement that civil society can reassure consumers that the KP’s mechanism can indeed deliver.”
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