The World Diamond Council (WDC) yesterday has issued its statement in response to G7 leaders’ previous proclamation to ban imports of non-industrial diamonds of Russian origin.
According to WDC, it recognizes that the G7 leaders’ statement was a high-level declaration and welcomes the stated intention by the G7 to continue consultations for the establishment of an effective mechanism to deliver on these objectives. The WDC will seek further engagements with the G7 with the goal of supporting their phased introduction of import restrictions.
The organization will prioritize key points, such as providing African producing countries the freedom and independence to verify and certify the origin of rough diamonds mined in their territories.
It will also ensure that any technology-based solutions that may be used to verify the origin and provenance of diamonds are accessible to both larger and smaller industry participants, including members of the artisanal and small-scale mining sector. Lastly, WDC wants for these new measures to enhance rather than restrict access to the G7 consumer markets for responsibly sourced natural diamonds.
Theodor Lisovoy, Editor in Chief of the European bureau, Rough&Polished
