We have said many times that there is a red line in the diamond industry that must not be touched, and that is "blood diamonds". According to the kimberley process organization (KP: Kimberley Process), blood diamonds are conflict diamonds, that is, "rough diamonds used to finance wars against legitimate governments."
Since KP's inception in 2003, 99.8% of the world's diamonds (some say 99.9%) have been freed from the clutches of "blood diamonds".
However, with the rapid changes in the world situation, many organizations have put forward the requirement to optimize and expand KP's definition of "blood diamond" in recent years. Because the KP system is too old and rigid, it is impossible to completely avoid the circulation of blood diamonds.
There will certainly be some factors of interest involved in this, but more motivation comes from the supervision of the whole society, especially the awareness of consumers in sustainable development and moral construction.
There is an organization called KPCSC, whose full name is Kimberley Process Civil Society Coalition, Chinese can be translated as "Kimberley Process Civil Society Coalition". It is an "umbrella organization", that is, like an umbrella, there is a headquarters with different branches below.
The vast majority of KPCSC's members are African civil society organizations, with only one organization called the Belgian International Peace Information Service (IPIS) "slightly prominent". (Pictured below)
KPCSC's role is that of an "observer" whose main job is to observe the implementation of the Kimberley Process and to synthesize feedback from various branches, to present their own views and appeals, etc. In layman's terms, KPCSC is a kind of supervision of KP.
On 20 October, on the eve of KP's all-member meeting (8-12 November), KPCSC launched four initiatives:
Do not make "conflict-free" claims in diamond marketing campaigns.
Why: Because the Kimberley Process's definition of conflict diamonds is so narrow, it cannot prove that every diamond certified by it is a conflict-free diamond.
If you haven't had a conversation with the communities affected by the diamond industry, don't discuss them.
Why: Communities in diamond mining, diamond processing, diamond trading, etc., don't have much of a voice for themselves. The implication is that many of the popular discussions for local communities are actually castles in the air.
Conduct due diligence on the diamond supply chain.
Why: There is still a lot of room for inadequacy and improvement in diamond traceability, so we need to conduct independent, third-party hearings and investigations across the industry, especially during the mining phase.
Stop upholding industry standards proposed by industry associations, such as the WDC's System of Warranties (a system of assurances for diamond sources, described in Diamond Watch on September 24).
Reason: These guidance documents, proposed by industry associations, cannot be used as proof of actual morality.
From the above four points, it can be seen that the initiative proposed by KPCSC this time is very sensitive, very precise, and very targeted. In short, after nearly two decades of trials, the original Kimberley Process (KP) has caused resentment among civil society observers and is facing reform.
But how exactly should it be reformed concretely? To what extent can the definition of "conflict diamond" be extended? How deep can due diligence for industries and businesses go? I am afraid that civil society organizations cannot give a systematic solution.
But from another perspective, being able to take advantage of the KP's meeting to launch these initiatives is an important sign of the diamond industry's self-flagging. Again, this is the result of the resurgence of the people's consciousness to a large extent. It is foreseeable that traceability will play an important role in this reform, providing evidence for all opinions and statements.
As an industry media, Diamond Watch will keep track of this matter and share its progress with partners inside and outside the industry in a timely manner.
—
Recommended in previous periods
Controlling blood diamonds is a long-term evolutionary process, not a problem that can be solved by a ragtag bunch
Diamond companies can make money in the future by doing a good job of word of mouth
The diamond industry is getting bigger and bigger
Sarine: Using technology to help retailers tell a trustworthy story
WDC announces a new version of SoW to promote the reshuffle of the diamond industry
Independent observation, timely sharing
Diamond observation
Diamond Spectator