Paris As A ‘Dead End’? Initiative Needs A Restart

(IDEX Online) - The efforts to reach out and get African producers involved in the Precious Stones Multi-Stakeholder Working Group (PS-MSWG) at last proved successful: representatives from a handful of African nations traveled to Paris. They were joined by some 50 private companies, NGOs and government members of the Multi Stakeholders Working Group. Judging by Tweets and other feedback, the Africans came with high anticipations but left quite disappointed; some were even upset. This might have been due to miscommunication. Some mistakenly believed that this was a governmental OECD meeting. The OECD spokesman, who dominated the morning sessions, made it very clear that his (OECD) participation was merely as an Observer.