02/11/03 | WDC Guide To Kimberley Process Available Online

As implementation of the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme moves forward, the World Diamond Council (WDC) has published The Essential Guide to Implementing the Kimberley Process, outlining steps that firms in the diamond industry must take to ensure implementation of the new system designed to eliminate the flow of conflict diamonds. The guide was produced for the WDC on behalf of the World Federation of Diamond Bourses (WFDB) and the International Diamond Manufacturers’ Association (IDMA) by the J. Walter Thompson Agency.

The guide, intended for worldwide use by anyone who trades in rough or polished diamonds, is available for immediate download from the WDC website, www.worlddiamondcouncil.org. In addition, the guide is being distributed to members of the World Federation of Diamond Bourses, the International Diamond Manufacturers Association, and CIBJO – The International Jewellery Confederation, by those organizations.

The guide outlines the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme, which was adopted in November 2002 by governments of all of the world’s diamond mining, manufacturing, importing and exporting nations. The guide also describes the diamond industry’s self-regulation through its voluntary System of Warranties, designed to strengthen the Kimberley Process agreement.

The guide contains step-by-step compliance checklists for companies throughout the diamond supply chain, to include mining companies and rough diamond buyers in source countries, rough diamond importers, exporters, manufacturers, and dealers, and polished diamond dealers, jewelry manufacturers, and diamond jewelry retailers.

In addition to the general requirements of the Kimberley Process, there are individual national laws and regulations that the guide does not address. Companies should therefore also consult with their national trade associations for guidance on complying with various national laws and regulations.

For jewelry retailers in the United States, detailed guidance on supporting the Kimberley Process system is available on the Jewelers of America website, www.jewelers.org.

To access the new WDC guide, visit www.worlddiamondcouncil.org, and click on “K.P. Guide.” For those without access to the Internet, printed copies are available from the New York Diamond Dealers Club, the Diamond Manufacturers and Importers Association, the Jewelers Vigilance Committee, and Jewelers of America.

The World Diamond Council was founded in 2000 by the diamond and jewelry industry amid growing concern over human rights violations and atrocities committed against innocent victims in diamond producing countries of war-torn northern Africa. The goal of the WDC is to prevent the exploitation of diamonds for illicit purposes such as war and inhumane acts.

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