Thank you, Mr. President.

Let me begin by expressing our gratitude to the Democratic Republic of Congo for its Chairmanship and able stewardship of the Kimberley Process in 2011.

I would also like to extend Israel’s welcome to the incoming Chair, the United States of America. We look forward to engaging closely with the U.S. during the coming year.

Mr. President,

From antiquity, diamonds have been deeply valued for their beauty, purity and strength. They have long been traded as the world’s most precious commodity. They are integral parts of the most sophisticated machines in industry, medicine and science. They are symbols of love and devotion.

Marilyn Monroe famously joked that "diamonds are a girl's best friend". It is the international community’s responsibility to ensure that diamonds are not the best friends of terrorists, warlords, and others who spread conflict. Conflict diamonds have led to the deaths of millions around the world. They fuel wars; they lead to slavery; and have caused the ruin of entire countries.

Eight years ago, the international community came together to stem the flow of conflict diamonds around the world, founding the Kimberly Process. Together, we have made great strides in confronting the danger of conflict diamonds. In the 1990s, these diamonds accounted for 15 percent of the global market. Today, that number has been reduced to less than one percent.

There is no doubt that the Kimberly Process has helped to bring about this progress. It shows that when there is a global commitment backed by collective action, we can achieve real results.

Mr. President,

Israel has been deeply in involved in the Kimberley Process since its inception. In 2003, Israel issued the first certificate for a conflict-free diamond. In 2010, we served as the Kimberly Process Chair. This year, we chaired the participation committee, overseeing the membership process for four new countries.

Israel sees this work as an expression of our most fundamental values. In Judaism, there is a principle known as Tikkun Olam, which calls on us to “mend the world” and make it a better place. These values extend to the products we buy and the commodities we sell. As the world’s third largest trading center for diamonds, we recognize our responsibility to provide leadership on this issue.

Israel is committed to making sure that each and every diamond is certified as “conflict-free” throughout its entire lifecycle – from the mine to the display case.

Mr. President,

As we gather today, it is clear that the Kimberly Process has significant work ahead. This process was intended to be a model of a tripartite partnership, in which governments, industry and NGOs work hand-in-hand. Efforts must be taken to strengthen civil society partnerships within the Kimberly Process. The broad participation of all relevant stakeholders is essential for advancing our collective work.

To this end, we strongly support many of the suggestions for reforming the Process that are now on the table. In particular, Israel has called for the formation of a permanent Secretariat to support the work of the Kimberly Process.

As this Assembly works to achieve consensus, let me express Israel’s hope that in the days ahead we will not just pass a new resolution, but also come together around effective solutions.

The Kimberley process is too important to fail. Our commitment to this cause must be even stronger than the diamonds we seek to certify.

We must be vigilant. We must ensure that the process is implemented rigorously. We must take bold steps to strengthen our partnership in the year ahead. We must extend a promise to all people in the world that we will not rest until each and every diamond is “conflict-free”.

Thank you, Mr. President.