(New York, NY) – October 30, 2006 – In a recently published report, ‘Killing Kimberley? Conflict Diamonds and Paper Tigers’, Partnership Africa Canada (PAC) states that, although the Kimberley Process (KP) “has been very successful,” some recent events have highlighted the need for participating governments to urgently address some important issues, such as allegations that rough diamonds are being smuggled from Ivory Coast, a country subject to a UN Security Council Resolution banning the export of diamonds, into neighboring countries.
The World Diamond Council (WDC) would like to renew its call, made earlier this month, to all KP participants to act swiftly and effectively to resolve this situation and take any measures deemed appropriate to protect the future integrity of the Kimberley Process, which as PAC states has “made a difference and seemed to be getting stronger.”
A well governed and effectively implemented Kimberley Process Certification Scheme is of paramount importance and benefit to the diamond industry. Millions of people around the world, many of them in developing countries, depend on diamonds for their livelihoods and each of us recognizes the need for a well managed system that delivers transparency and confidence to the consumer. The WDC has always worked hard to ensure this objective is met, in full.
Finally, we would like to express our full support for Partnership Africa Canada’s call for KP participants to “move quickly when there are credible indications of non-compliance with its standards, and to take decisive action that demonstrates to all participants, the industry and diamond consumers that it is protecting their interests and – more importantly – that it is working to ensure that the scourge of conflict diamonds ends, forever.”