UNITED NATIONS, March 3 (Xinhua) -- The UN General Assembly on Tuesday adopted a resolution that acknowledges the successful role that the Kimberley Process, a mechanism aimed to prevent "conflict diamonds" from financing violence by rebel movements, has played in the last 17 years.
The resolution says the Kimberley Process was successful in "stemming the flow of conflict diamonds and the valuable development impact it has had in improving the lives of many people dependent on the trade in diamonds."
It recognizes the contribution of the Kimberley Process to the settlement of conflicts and the consolidation of peace in Angola, Cote d'Ivoire, Liberia and Sierra Leone.
The resolution encourages further strengthening of the Kimberley Process to enhance its effectiveness in addressing challenges posed to the diamond industry and related communities, including from instability and conflict.
It added that regular review and reform of the Kimberley Process will be necessary to keep pace with and aim to address the ongoing threat of instability, conflict and contemporary challenges in the diamond trade, as well as to seize contemporary opportunities.
The Kimberley Process started when Southern African diamond-producing states met in Kimberley, South Africa, in May 2000, to discuss ways to stop the trade in conflict diamonds and ensure that diamond purchases were not financing violence by rebel movements and their allies seeking to undermine legitimate governments.
