With grant, DDI will manage KP technical assistance

Ottawa, Ontario--After receiving a grant from Signet Jewelers Ltd., the Diamond Development Initiative now is coordinating the technical assistance function of the Kimberley Process’ administrative arm.

The KP’s Administrative Support Mechanism provides a variety of support services to the KP, including the maintenance of an online electronic archive, the provision of communication services, logistical support for the KP Chair, chairs of KP Working Groups and ad hoc committees, and follow-through on training, data and requests for technical assistance.

The task of managing the ASM body has been divided among World Diamond Council members: the Antwerp World Diamond Center, the Israel Diamond Institute Group of Companies, India’s Gem and Jewellery Export Promotion Council, and now DDI, the Ottawa-based organization that works to improve the working conditions and lives of artisanal diamond diggers.

The organization’s role will be to coordinate support among KP members to both enhance compliance and improve developmental potential in countries where diamonds are mined artisanally.

A Signet spokesperson declined to release the dollar amount of the grant.

Signet CEO Mark Light said, “As perhaps the largest purchaser of polished diamonds in the world, this is an excellent match for us. The Kimberley Process can and should be about more than regulation. It must also add value to diamonds and to the communities and countries where they are mined and polished. We believe that improved technical assistance, coordinated by DDI, is one way toward helping accomplish that.”

The company estimates that 16 percent of global annual rough diamond production comes from artisanal sources, involving between 1 and 1.5 million diggers.

Light added, “Some of those diamonds find their way into jewelry counters around the world, including those in our stores. We believe retailers have a special responsibility to help, when possible, and that’s why we support the work of DDI with technical assistance to the KPCS and in artisanal mining communities is critical.”