World Diamond Council hopeful of Kimberley Process scope expansion in 2019

The World Diamond Council (WDC) has reiterated its support for the Kimberley Process (KP) certification scheme to end trade in conflict diamonds, while expressing concern over the progress in reforming its scope.

In a press statement issued after the conclusion of the 2018 KP plenary meeting, in Belgium, the WDC said the KP plenary’s final communique of the submission by the Canadian government of an expanded definition of conflict diamonds, which had been proposed by the WDC and another KP observer, the Civil Society Coalition, was a positive development.

The WDC expressed hope that the KP participants would support the amendment and make further contributions ahead of the next KP plenary to be held in India, in 2019.

Further, the WDC welcomed the decision of the KP plenary to adopt all three administrative decisions that were proposed by the industry, namely the establishment of a KP secretariat, the compilation of modifications to technical definitions and the use of unified diamond nomenclature and terminology as best practice.

Moreover, WDC president Stephane Fischler noted that the KP certification scheme had the capacity to protect people in the mining areas, as well as provide them with opportunities that might otherwise not exist.

He said this was particularly relevant when it came to artisanal and small-scale miners, who contributed 5% to 10% of global rough diamond production, by value.

“They are an important part of the around ten-million workers that the diamond industry sustains globally and are particularly vulnerable from both a social and an economic perspective.

“The KP should be playing a primary role in protecting their interests and enabling them to obtain legitimate access to the world markets.”

The WDC was hopeful that a reformed KP certification scheme would support and complement its strengthened system of warranties (SoW), which was ratified at the WDC annual general meeting, in Mumbai, India, in October.

The WDC’s SoW is a critical component in the suite of standards and practices that are working to protect the integrity of diamonds, the industry and populations involved in diamond mining.