An article on Ekklesia on 15th November said that the diamond industry must deliver on its promise that consumers can trust the diamonds they purchase are sourced, traded, and processed responsibly, according to a coalition of concerned civil society organisations. The appeal comes as members of the international community gather in Brussels for the Kimberley Process Plenary. The article reports that a new System of Warranties Guidelines introduced by the diamond industry claims to provide assurances to consumers beyond the Kimberley Process certificate that their diamonds have been sourced, processed and traded responsibly. However, despite the reforms, the System of Warranties still falls far short of international standards for responsible company behaviour – including by stating that respect for human rights by companies is “voluntary”. Campaigners say the Kimberley Process’s narrow definition of a conflict diamond is one of the major loopholes of the certification scheme, meaning that it does not address the much broader range of human rights concerns that continue to be associated with the diamond supply chain.
http://www.ekklesia.co.uk/node/27187
The System of Warranties Guidelines are at –
https://www.worlddiamondcouncil.org/downloads/WDC%20SoW%20Guidelines.pdf
and an explanatory note on reform of them is at –
http://www.worlddiamondcouncil.org/download/SoW%20reform%20explained.pdf
