Plea For Open Discussion

Diamonds body calls for ‘productive dialogue’ on Kimberley Process reform

- Mia Breytenbach

The World Diamond Council (WDC) has called for an open discussion about the Kimberley Process (KP) reform, highlighting three key areas in need of reform to ensure its continued success.

These include broadening the scope of the KP as the debate on the expansion of the definition of ‘conflict diamonds’ unfolds, the establishment of a permanent secretariat based in a neutral country and the review of the KP Certification Scheme (KPCS) with the goal to strengthen the KPCS’s minimum standards by strengthening the peer review mechanism and the implementation and delivery of the standards.

As the voice of the diamond industry, the WDC is calling on all KP participants to join together in a productive dialogue on the issues facing the KP to ensure that it continues its mission and delivers the duty of care owed to communities and consumers with respect to conflict free diamonds, said WDC acting president Stephane Fischler during a media call earlier this month.