India is currently the chair of the world's main system for keeping "blood diamonds" out of the legitimate trade, and on 3 November 2026 it used that position to hold talks in Luanda, Angola. The Ministry of Commerce and Industry reported on 5 November that Shri Yashvir Singh, Additional Secretary in the Department of Commerce and Chair of the Kimberley Process (KP) for 2026, met the chairs and vice-chairs of the KP's working groups and committees, along with the KP Vice-Chair (Ghana) and the previous chair (the United Arab Emirates). Observer organisations such as the World Diamond Council, the KP Civil Society Coalition, the Diamond Development Initiative and the African Diamond Producers' Association (ADPA) also took part.
The meeting was preparation. India will host the full KP Plenary in New Delhi from 30 November to 4 December 2026 at Bharat Mandapam, and the Luanda consultation was meant to settle, in advance, what the Plenary would have to decide. This article explains what the Kimberley Process is, why it exists, how it works, and why a diamond-cutting country is sitting in its chair.
What happened in Luanda
The consultation took place on the sidelines of ADPA@20, the twentieth-anniversary celebrations of the African Diamond Producers' Association, held in Luanda on 3-4 November 2026. Three things came out of it.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Consultation (3 Nov) | KP Chair-led meeting with heads of working bodies; items for the Plenary included draft Administrative Decisions, responsible rough diamond sourcing, better statistical reporting platform, and stronger institutional governance and compliance |
| ADPA Council of Ministers (4 Nov) | The KP Chair delivered a talk titled "Partnering for the Future: A Global Industry Perspective on Africa's Diamond Future"; Botswana was admitted as an Observer of ADPA at the 13th Extraordinary Meeting |
| GJEPC-ADPA MoU | The Council approved a Memorandum of Understanding between India's Gem & Jewellery Export Promotion Council (GJEPC) and ADPA, on skills in diamond sorting, valuation and manufacturing, exchange of technical expertise, and trade and investment links |
The topics debated were wider than the paperwork. Participants discussed the sustainability of producing countries and communities, funding and continuity for the KP Secretariat, digitalisation of certification and statistics, artisanal and alluvial production, consumer confidence, and, most politically sensitive of all, reform of the definition of "conflict diamonds".
India's theme for the year is the "3Cs". The 5 November release gives them as Confidence, Compliance and Credibility; earlier releases in 2026 worded them as Credibility, Compliance and Consumer Confidence. The three ideas are the same and the order is not important, but quote the form the question gives you.
Why diamonds needed a certificate
Diamonds are unusually easy to smuggle. A fortune can be carried in a pocket, a stone leaves almost no trace of its origin, and in the 1990s a number of African civil wars were paid for partly by selling rough stones from areas the rebels held. The wars in Angola and Sierra Leone, and the conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, are the standard examples. The UN Security Council imposed sanctions on diamonds from rebel-held areas of Angola and Sierra Leone, but enforcement was weak, because once a stone is mixed into the normal trade nobody can tell where it came from.
The answer came from the countries themselves.
- In May 2000, southern African diamond producers met in Kimberley, South Africa, to work out a system of certificates for rough stones. The process takes its name from that town.
- In December 2000, the UN General Assembly adopted Resolution 55/56, supporting the creation of an international certification scheme for rough diamonds.
- On 5 November 2002, at Interlaken, Switzerland, a ministerial meeting adopted the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme (KPCS).
- The scheme came into effect on 1 January 2003.
Notice what kind of instrument this is. It is not a treaty and it has no court. It is a voluntary, consensus-based arrangement that each participant puts into force through its own national law. Its strength is that governments, the industry and civil society sit around one table; its weakness, as critics keep pointing out, is that it has no strong tool for punishing a participant that cheats.
How the scheme works
The KPCS rests on a simple chain of custody for rough diamonds.
- Each participant must set up internal controls so that diamonds mined or traded inside it are not conflict stones.
- Every shipment of rough diamonds that crosses a border travels in a tamper-resistant container, with a government-validated Kimberley Process certificate.
- Participants may trade rough diamonds only with other participants. A country outside the scheme is shut out of the legitimate rough trade.
- Participants publish statistics on production, imports and exports, so that numbers that do not add up can be spotted, and they submit to peer review visits.
Three features of the scheme are asked often.
The tripartite structure. Governments, the diamond industry (through the World Diamond Council) and civil society (through the KP Civil Society Coalition) all take part. Only governments take decisions, but the other two sit as observers and shape the debate.
The numbers. The KP has 60 participants representing 86 countries, because the European Union and its member states count as a single participant. Together the participants account for over 99 per cent of global rough diamond trade, which makes it the most complete system governing any commodity of this kind.
The chair. The chair rotates every year and the vice-chair of one year becomes the chair of the next. India served as vice-chair from 25 December 2025 and took over as chair on 1 January 2026. Decisions are taken by consensus, which is why advance consultations like Luanda matter: a single objecting participant can hold up a reform.
The work is divided among working groups and committees, covering monitoring, statistics, artisanal and alluvial production, participation and rules. Those are the "working bodies" whose chairs met in Luanda.
What counts as a "conflict diamond"
The definition is the centre of the current debate, so it is worth knowing exactly. A conflict diamond in the KP's sense is a rough diamond used by rebel movements or their allies to finance conflicts aimed at undermining legitimate governments, as described in relevant UN Security Council resolutions.
That wording was agreed in the early 2000s, when the problem was rebel armies. Critics say it is now too narrow. It does not cover violence by a state's own forces, or abuse of miners, or diamonds that fund conflicts which the Security Council has not described. Supporters of the narrow definition reply that a broader one would be hard to enforce and might split the consensus that holds the scheme together.
Two further points keep the topic precise:
- The KPCS covers natural rough diamonds. It does not certify cut and polished stones, and it does not cover laboratory-grown diamonds.
- A diamond that passes the KP test is not necessarily "ethical" in a wider sense. The scheme is about conflict financing, not about wages, safety or the environment.
The "reform of the conflict diamond definition" mentioned in the Luanda talks is therefore a question of how much the scheme should try to do. It will be on the table in New Delhi.
India's place in the diamond chain
India is not a major producer of rough diamonds. Its weight lies in the middle of the chain. Rough stones are mined mostly in Africa, Russia and Canada, then cut and polished in India, and then sold on to consumer markets such as the United States, Europe, the Gulf and East Asia. India sits between the producers on one side and the consumers on the other, a point the KP Chair himself made in Luanda.
- Industry estimates put the share of the world's diamonds that are cut and polished in India, mostly in and around Surat, at roughly nine in every ten pieces. Treat this as an estimate, since it counts stones, not value.
- Surat Diamond Bourse, inaugurated by the Prime Minister on 17 December 2023, is meant to give the trade a single trading hub, with international banking, vaults and a jewellery mall. It has been recognised by Guinness World Records as the largest office building in the world.
- The Gem & Jewellery Export Promotion Council (GJEPC) represents the industry, and also acts as India's authority for issuing KP certificates.
- In January 2025 the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (Department of Commerce) notified the Diamond Imprest Authorization Scheme, effective 1 April 2025, allowing duty-free import of natural cut and polished diamonds of up to a quarter-carat for large exporters (Two Star Export House and above) who must meet an export obligation with 10% value addition. It came as producing countries, such as Botswana, Namibia and Angola, press for more cutting to be done at home.
The last point shows why the African link matters to India. Producing countries increasingly want value addition at home: they want a larger share of the cutting and polishing, not just the sale of rough stones. India needs a dependable supply of rough diamonds. The MoU between GJEPC and ADPA, with its stress on training in sorting, valuation and manufacturing, is an attempt to turn that tension into cooperation.
Why Africa, and why ADPA
The African Diamond Producers' Association was established on 4 November 2006 in Luanda. It has 15 effective member countries and 8 observers, and its members produce over 60 per cent of the world's diamonds. Only two of its observers are not African: the Russian Federation and India. Sierra Leone chairs it now, represented by its Minister of Mines and Mineral Resources.
India's observer status gives it a standing channel to the producing countries. That is useful for a chair who needs consensus: the African producers are among the participants most affected by any change in the definition, the funding of the Secretariat or the rules on artisanal diggers, who supply a large share of alluvial diamonds in some countries and are the hardest to monitor.
India's chairship, in three stages
- 2008: India held the KP chair for the first time.
- 2019: India chaired again, with the Russian Federation as vice-chair. The intersessional meeting was in Mumbai (June 2019) and the Plenary in New Delhi (November 2019).
- 2026: the third chairship. India was vice-chair from 25 December 2025; the Intersessional was held in Mumbai in May 2026; the Plenary follows in New Delhi, 30 November to 4 December 2026, preceded by the New Delhi Diamond Dialogue (the KP Forum) on 29 November.
The Delhi Plenary will be the third India hosts, according to the Ministry's release.
What to watch at the Plenary
- The definition. Whether participants move towards reform, or agree only to keep studying it.
- Money. A stable funding arrangement for the KP Secretariat.
- Digital certification. Moving from paper certificates to electronic ones that cannot be altered, and a better statistical platform.
- Compliance. Tougher follow-up where a participant's numbers or controls look weak, using the peer-review system.
- Artisanal producers. How to bring small diggers into formal, traceable supply.
🔑 Revision block
The news. 3 November 2026, Luanda - KP Chair India (Shri Yashvir Singh, Addl Secretary, Dept of Commerce) consulted the chairs and vice-chairs of KP working bodies; KP Vice-Chair Ghana; former chair UAE. Release dated 5 November.
Next. KP Plenary: New Delhi, 30 November to 4 December 2026 (Bharat Mandapam); New Delhi Diamond Dialogue (KP Forum) on 29 November. India's chairships: 2008, 2019, 2026; KP Vice-Chair from 25 Dec 2025; Intersessional in Mumbai, May 2026.
Scheme. KPCS: UNGA Resolution 55/56 (2000); adopted at Interlaken, 5 Nov 2002; in effect 1 Jan 2003. 60 participants / 86 countries (EU counts as one); over 99% of rough diamond trade. Tripartite: governments, industry, civil society. Consensus decisions; annual rotating chair. Not a treaty.
Mechanics. Tamper-resistant container + government-validated certificate; trade only among participants; statistics; peer review. Covers natural rough diamonds only.
Conflict diamond. Rough diamonds used by rebel groups or allies to finance conflicts against legitimate governments, as defined in UN Security Council resolutions. Reform of this narrow definition is under discussion.
ADPA. Founded 4 Nov 2006, Luanda; 15 members, 8 observers (Russia and India the non-African ones); over 60% of world production; chair Sierra Leone; Botswana admitted as Observer on 4 Nov 2026. GJEPC-ADPA MoU on skills and trade.
India's stake. Cutting and polishing centre (Surat; about nine in ten pieces, by industry estimate); Surat Diamond Bourse opened 17 Dec 2023; Diamond Imprest Authorization Scheme (notified Jan 2025, effective 1 Apr 2025). Theme: 3Cs (Confidence, Compliance, Credibility).
🎯 Practice MCQs
Q1. The Kimberley Process Certification Scheme was set up to:
(a) regulate the price of rough diamonds
(b) promote lab-grown diamonds in Asia
(c) prevent conflict diamonds from entering the legitimate rough diamond trade
(d) settle disputes between diamond-producing countries
→ (c)
The scheme certifies rough diamonds so that stones sold to finance rebel movements cannot enter the legitimate trade. It does not fix prices or settle disputes.
Q2. Which of the following statements about the Kimberley Process is/are correct?
1. It is a legally binding treaty enforced by an international court.
2. Its decisions are taken by consensus.
Select the correct answer.
(a) 2 only
(b) 1 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2
→ (a)
The KP is a voluntary arrangement put into force through national laws, with consensus decision-making. It has no court of its own.
Q3. The Kimberley Process was established pursuant to a resolution of the:
(a) UN Security Council, 1998
(b) World Trade Organization, 1995
(c) International Monetary Fund, 2002
(d) UN General Assembly, 2000
→ (d)
Resolution 55/56 of the UN General Assembly (2000) backed the scheme, which came into effect on 1 January 2003.
Q4. The 2026 Plenary of the Kimberley Process is scheduled to be held in:
(a) Luanda
(b) New Delhi
(c) Mumbai
(d) Dubai
→ (b)
The Plenary will be held at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi, from 30 November to 4 December 2026. Luanda hosted only the consultation, and Mumbai the Intersessional in May.
Q5. Why does the European Union count as a single participant in the Kimberley Process?
(a) It does not mine diamonds
(b) The EU and its member states participate together as one entity
(c) The EU is only an observer
(d) Its members have left the scheme
→ (b)
The 60 participants represent 86 countries because the EU and its member states take part as a single entity.
Q6. The African Diamond Producers' Association (ADPA), whose 20th anniversary was marked in Luanda, has India as:
(a) a founder member
(b) a permanent chair
(c) a non-voting associate of the Security Council
(d) an Observer
→ (d)
ADPA has 15 effective members and 8 observers; the Russian Federation and India are the two non-African observers.
Q7. Consider the following statements about India and the Kimberley Process:
1. India has chaired the Kimberley Process three times, including 2026.
2. The chair rotates every year.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2
→ (c)
India chaired in 2008, 2019 and 2026, and the KP chair rotates annually among participants.
Q8. Under the Kimberley Process, a "conflict diamond" is a rough diamond used to:
(a) finance conflicts by rebel groups or their allies against legitimate governments
(b) pay low wages to artisanal miners
(c) evade customs duty on cut stones
(d) destroy forests in producing countries
→ (a)
The definition is tied to rebel financing as described in UN Security Council resolutions. It does not cover wages, tax evasion or environmental harm, which is why reform of the definition is debated.
📋 How this gets asked (PYQ pattern)
Questions on international economic institutions and treaties follow three patterns.
The first is the basic recall: what the Kimberley Process is, which body it grew from and what it certifies. Options mix up the Security Council with the General Assembly, and rough diamonds with cut ones, so know both.
The second is the "is it a treaty" trap: arrangements that look like international law but are voluntary, such as the KP, are set against binding treaties. Statement-type questions use this often.
The third is the current-affairs hook, usually a city, a year or a number: where the next Plenary is held, which country chairs, how many participants. For this cycle the hooks are New Delhi, 30 November to 4 December 2026, India's third chairship (2008, 2019, 2026), 60 participants and 86 countries, and ADPA at 20. We describe the recurring pattern here, not any specific past question.
Preparing for CDS? International bodies and certification schemes reward a one-page table: who set it up, when, how many members and how decisions are taken. Build the economic background with our notes on international trade and minerals and their distribution. Follow the daily CDS current affairs, and learn with experienced faculty in the upcoming Cavalier courses in Delhi.
Source: PIB / Ministry of Commerce & Industry, "India Advances Global Diamond Industry Agenda Ahead of Kimberley Process Plenary", 5 November 2026; "India to assume Chairpersonship of Kimberley Process from Jan 1 2026", 25 December 2025; "Kimberley Process Intersessional 2026 Concludes in Mumbai", 15 May 2026; Diamond Imprest Authorization Scheme release, 21 January 2025; PIB/PMO, 17 December 2023. Interlaken adoption (5 November 2002) and the Surat share cross-checked with independent sources.
✍️ Written by Aditya Tiwari — Economy & current-affairs faculty at The Cavalier. Reviewed by the Cavalier Faculty Desk.