Articles and News
INDUSTRY NEWS: GIA BENEFITS AFRICA, GLOBAL WITNESS EXITS KIMBERLEY PROCESS, DEF HONORS FOUR December 07, 2011 (0 comments)
GIA Supports Beneficiation in Africa; Will Provide Free Diamond Training for 20 Students in CAR and Liberia
Carlsbad, CA—GIA (Gemological Institute of America) has approved a grant to support a United States Agency for International Development (USAID) project called Property Rights and Artisanal Diamond Development (PRADD). The grant will provide training in sorting and evaluation of diamonds in the Central African Republic and Liberia.
Under the grant, GIA will support travel and accommodation costs for 20 students to participate in a weeklong training course held in Bangui, Central African Republic. Five participants from Liberia and 15 participants from the Central African Republic that are already involved with the PRADD project will be selected to receive the training. GIA will waive the full tuition fee and provide specialized training materials, including rough diamonds for the training, an instructor, assistant instructor, and translator.
USAID’s PRADD Project supports the efforts of both national governments to implement the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme. The project objectives are to bring greater quantities of alluvial diamonds into the legal chain of custody while improving the livelihood of local mining communities. This year, the legal diamond production in the areas of the Central African Republic where PRADD operates represented 27.5 percent of the national production, compared to only 4.1percent in 2009.
“We look forward to serving this region through our educational offerings,” said Donna Baker, president and CEO of GIA. “We are honored to work alongside USAID on this important initiative to help achieve a greater quality of life for the residents of these African communities.”
For more information about the PRADD Project, please contact Timothy Fella at tfella@usaid.gov.
Global Witness Exits Kimberley Process
London, United Kingdom--Global Witness, one of the NGO's that played a key role in helping develop the Kimberley Process to stop the flow of conflict diamonds, now has pulled out of the KP. In this article on IDEX Online, the group says the Kimberley Process has grown outdated in its refusal to evolve and address the clear links between diamonds, tyranny, and violence. The organization also said that despite repeated efforts by a coalition of NGOs, the KP's main flaws and loopholes have not been fixed and most of the governments that run the scheme show no interest in reform. Global Witness founding director Charmian Gooch says the scheme's three main failures have been in halting trade in conflict diamonds in Cote d'Ivoire, failing to take action against Venezuela for years of blatant breaches of rules, and an unwillingness to stop diamonds fueling corruption and violence in Zimbabwe.
A followup article on IDEX Online says the diamond industry has expressed regret over Global Witness's decision and calls on the group to reconsider. World Diamond Council president Eli Izhakoff said in the article, "The [KP] system is not perfect and is in need of constant review. However, you cannot contribute to the process if you are no longer engaged."
Diamond Empowerment Fund Launches Good Awards for Corporate Citizenship and Responsibility
New York, NY—The Diamond Empowerment Fund (DEF) announced today a new award to honor four leading jewelry and diamond industry individuals and their companies for outstanding leadership in the area of good corporate citizenship and helping to communicate the diamond industry’s commitment to helping individuals through education in African nations where diamonds are a natural resource.
The 2012 Good Awards will be held Thursday, January 5, from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. at the Empire Hotel Rooftop, 44 West 63rd Street, New York City.
The four inaugural honorees for the 2012 Good Awards will be:
- Varda Shine and Diamond Trading Company (A De Beers Group Company): Varda Shine, CEO of the Diamond Trading Company (DTC), and the De Beers Family of Companies continues to make an outstanding contribution to the economic development of Africa, and 2012 will mark the beginning of DTC’s move from its current London base to Gaborone, Botswana, thus furthering beneficiation on the continent. As a founding member of the Board of Directors of DEF, Shine champions the education, skills transfer and sustainable development of southern Africa, especially in communities where diamonds are a treasured natural resource
- Edward Hrabak, SVP Merchandising and GMM, Sterling Jewelers Inc.: With considerable support from Sterling, Ed Hrabak has promoted industry-wide product development models benefitting DEF that help fund educational initiatives and leadership development for youths in diamond producing countries in Africa.Hrabak’s commitment to the DEF mission is further example that ‘diamonds for good’ is not just an industry message, but also opportunity for an industry call-to-action.
- Rebecca Foerster and Rio Tinto Diamonds: Together with the sales and marketing team at Rio Tinto Diamonds, Rebecca Foerster has helped communicate and lead Rio Tinto Diamonds’ commitment to education and sustainability, evident through its contributions to social wellbeing, environmental stewardship, and economic prosperity, all within strong governance systems. Rio Tinto Diamonds demonstrates good corporate citizenship throughout its mining communities in Australia, Canada, and Africa by supporting education initiatives, access to healthcare, agricultural skill building, and capacity building programs.
- Ivanka Trump and Ivanka Trump Fine Jewelry: Under the ‘New and Brightest’ category of the inaugural Good Awards, Ivanka Trump has made a commitment to using only sustainable materials in her diamond bridal line – the company is striving towards 100% sustainability in the near future. She uses her celebrity to champion causes, including ‘Girl Up’ and the UN Foundation. Girl Up supports girls around the world by giving them the opportunity to become educated, healthy, safe, counted, and positioned to be the next generation of leaders. As part of this support, Trump designed a ‘Girl Up’ bracelet with all proceeds going towards the “Girl Up’ organization.
Hosted by Phyllis Bergman, Russell Simmons and the Board of Directors of the Diamond Empowerment Fund, the Good Awards will take place on January 5, 2012 from 6:30pm to 9:30 p.m. at the Empire Hotel Rooftop in New York, and will bring together industry members, celebrity tastemakers, socialites and philanthropists from all walks of life. Grammy nominated singer Melanie Fiona will give a special performance, and music will be played throughout the evening by DJ M.O.S..
“We are thrilled to recognize the good works of leaders in our industry who are helping make a difference both in their own communities and in African communities where diamonds are a natural resource” says Nancy Orem Lyman, DEF executive director.
Adds founding board member Russell Simmons, “Diamonds are a precious resource, and through good governance by the industry they can contribute to the development of Africa’s other precious resource, its people.”
Tickets are $195 and digital journal ads are $400. For ticket and journal information please contact Kafia Ahmed at kahmed@diamondempowerment.orgor visit DEF’s website at www.diamondempowerment.orgto purchase online.