Diamond Development Initiative Releases 2012 Report

(IDEX Online News) – The Diamond Development Initiative (DDI) has released its 2012 annual report, providing information on its work with NGOs, governments and the private sector to improve the work of artisanal diamond miners and the communities in which they live.

at www.ddiglobal.org in English and French, the 2012 annual The report is available online and includes updates on programs and achievements from 2012 as well as messages from the DDI chair Ian Smillie and executive director Dorothée Gizenga.

"This report illustrates the wonderful work that can be accomplished when multiple stakeholders from diverse backgrounds work together for the common good of their shared industry; in this case the formalization of the artisanal diamond pipeline," said, Gizenga. 

Meanwhile, Smillie said, "The successes of 2012, outlined in this report, have only emboldened us to push harder and go further in the hopes of creating better outcomes and more optimism in a part of the industry that is often cast as too chaotic and corrupt to improve.”

The DDI estimates that there are 1.5 million artisanal diamond miners in Africa and South America, and it aims to promote development and sustainable economic growth to enable diamonds to be an engine for social change.