𝐇𝐎𝐒𝐓 𝐂𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐓𝐑𝐘 𝐀𝐆𝐑𝐄𝐄𝐌𝐄𝐍𝐓 𝐁𝐄𝐓𝐖𝐄𝐄𝐍 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐆𝐎𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐍𝐌𝐄𝐍𝐓 𝐎𝐅 𝐁𝐎𝐓𝐒𝐖𝐀𝐍𝐀 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐊𝐈𝐌𝐁𝐄𝐑𝐋𝐄𝐘 𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐂𝐄𝐒𝐒 𝐒𝐄𝐂𝐑𝐄𝐓𝐀𝐑𝐈𝐀𝐓 𝐒𝐈𝐆𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐂𝐄𝐑𝐄𝐌𝐎𝐍𝐘

Executive Secretary of the Kimberly Process Secretariat Mr Bojun Tang this morning signed the host agreement with the Minister of Minerals and Energy Hon. Lefoko Moagi on behalf of the Government of Botswana making history as the host of the Kimberly Process Secretariat.

Botswana successfully won the bid against Austria, China, the Russian Federation and United States of America and in November 2022 the Kimberley Process agreed at its plenary to host the Process Secretariat in Gaborone.

Speaking at the event, Minister Moagi stated that the host Country agreement details how the Secretariat will function, highlighting that the Kimberley Process is an international and multi-stakeholder arrangement comprising of governments, the diamond industry and civil society, with the aim to increase ethical conduct in diamond trade and to prevent conflict diamonds from entering the legitimate trade of rough diamonds.

He stated that since 2003, the Kimberley Process has been the certification scheme that has assured the world and the global market that Botswana’s diamonds are ethically mined and conflict free. Minister Moagi implored the Executive Secretary to timely operationalize the Secretariat highlighting that there will be Inter-cessionary meetings to be hosted soon with the plenary scheduled for November 2024.

On his part, Mr Bojun Tang highlighted that assuming the Executive Secretary position and signing the host country agreement with the Government of Botswana was a momentous moment consummating the Kimberly Process Secretariat. Mr Tang stated that by hosting the Kimberly Process Secretariat, Botswana is demonstrating high capability in the Kimberley Process ideals and shows the whole world that Botswana remains the nerve center of rough diamond trade around the world.