‘The Kimberley Process Derails Over Zimbabwe – NGOs Walk Out of Kinshasa KP Meeting, Consider Options’ states that for the first time in the Kimberley Process’s almost decade-long life span, civil society not only walked out of a meeting, but expressed a unanimous vote of no-confidence in the way the scheme is operating. ‘Zimbabwe? No Double Standards Here…’ says that an often heard refrain from African governments and industry is that Zimbabwe is being held to a “different standard” than other KP participants, and that a “political agenda” is behind an “overly onerous” roadmap to bring it back into full compliance with KP minimum standards. The article also has a short piece on the ‘Kinshasa Text.’ ‘Minister Mpofu – How not to Win Friends and Influence People’ has a look at in what has become a hallmark of recent KP meetings, Obert Mpofu, the Zimbabwean minister of mines, made another bombastic speech in Kinshasa laden with personal attacks and bearing little reality to the truth. ‘Ethical Consumers and Africa – A Growing Disconnect’ indicates that one thing that has emerged from this long debacle over Zimbabwe is the growing disconnect between the mostly artisanal and alluvial diamond producing countries in Africa and countries that have to retail diamonds to ethically conscious consumers. ‘The Kimberley Process: Necessary, but not Sufficient’ states that whether the KP evolves or not, the diamond sector must not be allowed to return to the free-wheeling criminality with which it was characterized in the 1990s. ‘Looking for a Hero – Will the Diamond Industry Please Stand Up?’ looks at how the private sector has an important role to play in both shoring up the KP and providing an alternative if the KP cannot meet consumer demands for an ethical jewellery supply chain. ‘Going Round in Consensus Circles’ says that in addition to the continued unfolding of the Zimbabwe debacle, the 2011 KP Intersessional was characterized by failure to deal with a diverse range of other issues. ‘Searching for a Silver Lining’ shows that away from the KP meetings themselves, some constructive initiatives are taking place in the diamond sectors of various countries.
