May 19, 2025-MONROVIA:
The Kimberly Process (KP) member countries meeting at this year’s Intersessional Conference of the global Diamonds trade organization have adopted an agenda on “THE YEAR OF BEST PRACTICE” focusing on elevating standards to strengthen the KP certification scheme through the development and sharing of best practices to provide scalable models for adoption.
During the 2025 Intersessional meetings which ran from May 12 – 16, 2025, the Kimberly Process, among other things, addressed the need to tackle pressing issues impacting the global diamond trade including the influx of lab grown diamonds in the global market and illicit diamond trade.
To initiate this practice, countries (Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea, and Ivory Coast) of the Mano River Union sub-region presented a work plan to the KP Sub-group – Working Group on Artisanal Alluvial Production – on the establishment of an anti-smuggling working group in the region to prevent illicit trading of the mineral and promote best practices and enhance economic prospects among which is the core value of the KP.
Additionally, to enhance capacity building in the identification of lab grown diamonds that are currently disrupting traditional diamond pricing thus reshaping market competition.
The Director for the Office of Precious Minerals at the Ministry of Mines and Energy, Rebecca Kumba Fallah, who headed Liberia’s delegation to this year’s KP Intersessional, said, several “rotational stakeholder engagement meetings” will be held among the four MRU countries to generate better understanding about the workings of the task force and to determine a date for the official launch.
The Intersessional, and the Plenary of the Kimberly Process are two annual gatherings member countries must attend in fulfilling their membership commitment to the international certification scheme established to prevent trade in conflict diamonds.
According to Director Fallah, Liberia’s participation in the just-ended KP conference allowed the Country to make a contribution to, and benefit from discussions aimed at elevating standards and implementing scalable models for ethical diamond trade, at a time the Country [Liberia] is scheduled for a comprehensive review of its Kimberley Process in January 2026.
Preventing ‘Lab-Grown’ diamonds from taking over the Natural Diamond Industry, Director Fallah said, was also another key focus the “2025 – Year of Best Practice” Intersessional Meetings of the KP in Dubai, Chaired by the United Arab Emirates (UAE). She noted, that the Kimberly Process has a strong stance against Lab-grown diamonds, which if not discouraged, could disrupt the ‘Natural Diamond’ Market. Director Fallah further explained that meetings will be held among MRU countries in this regard to watch against the production of diamonds from laboratories.
Liberia’s other representatives to the KP Intersessional this year were Diamond Data Analyst Veronica J. Harris, and Jamba Keita, Director for Training at the Ministry of Mines and Energy.
“Attending the Intersessional meeting this year provides an invaluable opportunity to engage with global experts, share experiences, and align with best practices, ensuring a successful review outcome, and additionally, it is a strategic move to bolster Liberia’s diamond industry's integrity, enhance economic prospects, and reaffirm its commitment to ethical practices in the global arena”, Director Fallah asserted.
German Non-governmental organization – GIZ, and the Liberia Chambers of Mines collaborated with the Ministry of Mines and Energy to make Liberia’s participation in the KP 2025 Intersessional possible.