United Arab Emirates (UAE) custodian chairperson of the Kimberley Process (KP) Ahmed Bin Sulayem addressed the UN General Assembly (UNGA) on April 15, presenting the UAE’s achievements under its ‘Year of Best Practice’ – it was the 2025 chairperson of the KP – and introducing the UAE-led resolution, ‘The role of diamonds in fuelling conflict’, which was adopted by consensus at the UN.

In a media release, the UAE Ministry of Economy notes that the resolution, co-sponsored by 50 countries, reflects key decisions and outcomes reached by consensus during the UAE’s tenure, reinforcing the KP’s mission to ensure conflict-free global diamond trade.

The Ministry explains that it also gives international recognition to the UAE’s major milestones during its 2025 chairmanship, including technical assistance measures for diamond-producing communities, strengthened governance and working methods and the progress in the structural review of the KP to address challenges faced by artisanal and small-scale mining communities.

The KP is a unique tripartite initiative bringing together governments, industry and civil society to prevent conflict diamonds from entering the legitimate rough diamond trade.

While not legally binding, the Ministry says the resolution strengthens global commitment to conflict-free diamond trade and recognises the UAE’s leadership in advancing the KP’s mission.

“In the Year of Best Practice, our task was to translate the gains of 2024 into stronger implementation, better working methods and a more future-ready KP.

“That meant strengthening compliance, reinforcing institutional continuity and ensuring the KP remains fit for purpose in an era that is moving faster than our processes. I can confirm that we have delivered clear progress,” said Bin Sulayem.

Bin Sulayem highlighted specific initiatives under the UAE chairmanship in 2025.

“Several notable achievements were delivered. We adopted measures to strengthen technical assistance for diamond-producing communities. We advanced the structural review of the KP with a view to addressing challenges faced by artisanal and small-scale miners.

“And we strengthened governance and working methods, including leadership arrangements and best practices for meetings. Shared understanding of the importance of these issues was underscored by the Ministerial Meeting during the Dubai KP Plenary, the first KP Ministerial since Interlaken in 2002.”

“Under the UAE chairmanship, we also advanced the digitalisation agenda through initiatives like Verifico, a secure digital certification platform designed to enhance traceability, efficiency and integrity within the KP framework.

“Another critical element for future progress will be how AI can support and strengthen the KP. The session in Dubai, on Best Practice in the Age of AI, opened this discussion, and helped identify potential applications.

“The path forward available to us is clear: pilot programmes, harmonised data standards and a phased integration of AI into all the KP family’s verification systems.”

The UAE was the first and only Arab country to chair the KP in 2016, an international group tasked with regulating the global diamond trade.

The UAE chaired the KP for a historic second time in 2024, and for a record third time in 2025 as custodian chair, under Bin Sulayem.