U.S. and Diamond Industry Leaders Meet to Discuss ‘Government-Industry Engagement’

(IDEX Online News) – In a bid to create change in the oversight of diamonds, the U.S. government, together with EU officials, met last Friday with a group of elected representatives of the diamond industry.

Described as an informal discussion about the state of engagement between governments and industry, participants “discussed increasing challenges the industry faces in how it responds to concerns regarding the practices underlying its supply chain,” according to a State Department statement published Monday evening.

The U.S., which will serve as Chair of the Kimberley Process in 2012, is interested in a more effective system, one that goes beyond the trade in diamonds in cases that finance rebels, which is the original and main scope of KP.

Assistant Secretary of State for Economic and Business Affairs Jose W. Fernandez, Ruiz-Calavera, Head of the Unit for Crisis Response and Peace Building of the European Commission and Eli Izhakoff, President of the World Diamond Council led the Washington, DC meeting.

“Participants acknowledged these challenges are most pronounced in the way the industry meets expectations in key consuming markets, necessitating this type of dialogue between industry and government,” the statement added.

Following this discussion, a separate meeting was held with representatives of the current KP Chair from the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the KP Vice-Chair for 2012, South Africa. The meeting focused on the state of the KP Certification Scheme “[I]n light of recent developments and emphasized the commitment of all to the KP and the need for continued progress and cooperation among all stakeholders.”