UN Hosts CIBJO for Corporate Responsibility and Social Development Talks

Members of the World Jewellery Confederation (CIBJO) were hosted Monday by the United Nations for a day-long session of discussions about corporate responsibility and the role of the jewelry industry in promoting sustainable economic and social development.

The meeting was part of an ongoing liaison program with the UN. Under a 2006 agreement, CIBJO holds the role of an NGO with consultative status to the UN’s Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).

ECOSOC NGO section Chief Dr Hanifa Mezoui hosted the meeting and commented that, "CIBJO's emphasis on good practice for its retailers has detailed social and environmental responsibility initiatives. The preservation of basic human rights, condemning discrimination and forced labour and promoting fair worker remuneration and safe working environments go hand in hand with the spirit of the [UN’s] Millennium Development Goals (MDG’s)."

CIBJO President Dr Gaetano Cavalieri explained the organisation’s vision as a positive economic and social catalyst. "As we have proven time and time again, our industry has a very strong social conscience, and when we are properly informed we are ready to act and contribute," he said.

Other speakers included UN NGO Liaison Officer Ricardo Espinosa; Jean Fabre – assistant director of public relations for the UN Development Programme; Jean Pierre Diserens, vice chairman and executive vice president of the Convention of Independent Financial Advisors (CIFA); Collectors Universe CEO Michael R Haynes; and ECOSOC CIBJO Case Officer Pierre Strauss.

Espinosa in particular called on the CIBJO membership to develop tangible projects and programs to alleviate poverty.

The meeting concluded with a brainstorming session, moderated by UN officials, in which the CIBJO delegates were encouraged to discuss concrete programs that would advance the UN MDG’s, which are scheduled for completion by 2015.