Industry Ad-Hoc Group Moving Forward with Diamond Tracking Initiative

(IDEX Online News) – In what seems to be an effort to circumvent many key players in the diamond industry, a number of companies and organizations will meet in Paris looking for ways to extend rough diamond tracking to polished diamonds.

“A multi-stakeholder group comprised of industry representatives, civil society organizations and governments will meet at the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in Paris on April 30 to discuss and exchange ideas on developing responsible supply chains for precious stones,” the group said in a statement published Wednesday night.

The group said it believes that improvements in responsible sourcing are essential to ensure trade in precious stones does not contribute to conflict and serious human rights abuses, in line with the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, and are fundamental to upholding the reputation of the jewelry industry.

The U.S. State Department's Conflict Diamond Advisor Brad Brooks-Rubin organized the meeting with the help of Jewelers of America, who developed the Diamond System Warranty Protocol.

Global Witness, the NGO that was part of the Kimberley Process civil society coalition but left saying the KP failed, developed the agenda for the meeting.

“The OECD’s Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Supply Chains of Minerals from Conflict-Affected and High Risk Areas has set a benchmark for responsible sourcing of gold and other minerals. The gold sector has already made significant progress incorporating the Guidance into industry standards.”

The meeting is open to all, but will be held under the Chatham House Rule, which means that participants are free to use the information received, but neither the identity nor the affiliation of the speaker(s), nor that of any other participant, may be revealed.