From Dubai, A Puzzling Press Release Follows KP Plenary

Dubai, United Arab Emirates--Following the Kimberley Process plenary meeting in Dubai, the KP chair nation touted the passage of two “historic” proposals, which would be a huge step for a process that’s perennially unable to move forward on substantive issues.

The only problem: It doesn’t seem that either of the agreements actually passed.

On Thursday, the United Arab Emirates sent out a press release stating that at the meeting, members of the KP had reached a “historic agreement,” voting to approve the establishment of a permanent secretariat for the process and a proposal to establish a common fund for its Civil Society Coalition, the group of NGOs involved in the process.

The release, which was picked up by trade websites IDEX Online and Rapaport, quoted KP Chair Ahmed Bin Sulayem as saying that, “The historic decisions made today will have an enduring impact on the long-term sustainability of the KP and the diamond industry. We are very proud of the way that the KP family has come together to enact these vital proposals that will lend greater structure and transparency to the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme. I look forward to working closely with the next KP chair to ensure these initiatives are implemented efficiently and effectively.”

The release also stated that both proposals would go before the United Nations General Assembly for adoption before the end of the year.

However, several people with knowledge of the situation told National Jeweler that neither of these proposals passed at the meeting, with one observer calling the UAE’s press release a “mischaracterization” that is “quite unprecedented.”

The final communiqué from the meeting posted on the KP website backs this up, as it states that the plenary “recognized the effort and took note of” these two proposals made by the KP chair and “looked forward to continued discussion of these proposals under the incoming chair.”

It states nothing about either proposal passing, and their alleged “historic” passage also wasn’t mentioned by World Diamond Council President Andrey Polyakov in his closing remarks at the plenary.

In fact, according to a transcript of those remarks shared with National Jeweler, Polyakov said: “We believe it is necessary to work further on key initiatives such as the establishment of a permanent secretariat and an independent fund for financing the participation of NGOs.”

When asked about the discrepancy between the press release and others’ accounts of the meeting, a spokesman for the KP