GJEPC and Ministry of Commerce hold meeting to discuss reforms for global diamond industry

By

Isabelle Crossley

Published
Jun 18, 2019

As chair of the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme for 2019, India is currently hosting the Kimberley Process Intersessional Meeting 2019 in Mumbai and working to reform the diamond industry.

As part of its duties as country chair for the KPCS this year, India is the host nation for the Kimberley Process Intersessional Meeting. The meeting, which will run until June 21, is organised by the Ministry of Commerce and the Gem & Jewellery Export Promotional Council. “The world is looking up to us [India] for instituting further reforms in the Kimberley Process,” a GJEPC official told the Economic Times.

The aim of the meeting and the KPSC itself is to work with international governments, jewellery businesses, and civil society to promote the use and retail of “conflict free” diamonds. The organisation is also working on stopping state actors from forcibly taking diamonds from artisanal miners. The meeting will discuss reforms for the process and organisation. 

The Kimberly Process’ official website states that currently close to 99.8 percent of the world’s diamonds are conflict free. The Kimberly Process provides certificates to vouch for the conflict free status of a diamond. The GJEPC works to increase India’s gem and jewellery exports and hosting the Kimberley Process meeting in India shows the GJEPC and government’s commitment to also increasing awareness and adherence to ethics in the industry. 

The Kimberley Process is a United Nations mandated organisation with 54 participants. Established in 2003, the organisation uses its KPCS to encourage states and countries to safeguard rough diamond shipments and ensure that they are conflict free.