“For the World Diamond Council our neutrality is an iron-clad rule,” the WDC President continued. “The industry we represent covers the entire globe.”
“Nonetheless, while we are neutral, we are not morally indifferent. We have clear guidelines. All people should be able to operate safely and securely, without fear of violence or suppression. All law-abiding members of our industry should be granted access to the distribution chain and be allowed to earn fair value for their efforts and ingenuity. Furthermore, the people and communities of all countries fortunate to be blessed with natural diamond resources, and the countries where polished diamonds are processed, should be able to realize the full economic and social benefits that these natural diamonds are able to provide,” Mr. Asscher said.
The WDC representative is the only nominee for the next Chair of the key Working Group of Diamond Experts (WGDE), to serve from 2023 to 2026, having been unanimously endorsed by the working group’s current members. Mr. Asscher thanked them for their support.
At this current KP Plenary, the Technical Expert Team, or TET, which is coordinating the establishment of a Permanent KP Secretariat, will formally recommend a host country for the Permanent KP Secretariat, from an original group of five prospective candidates. TET also is chaired by WDC.
“The KP continues to face major challenges. A permanent and reinforced secretariat should contribute to a positive dynamic within the organization and ensure that we as a KP are able to cope with these challenges ahead,” Mr. Asscher said.
Turning to the Central African Republic, he reiterated WDC’s support for the principle that the country be able to gain fair benefit from the diamonds responsibly mined in areas under government control. But he expressed concern about the presence of rebel forces in the sub-prefectures of CAR that are considered KP compliant.
“Since 2021 KP Plenary, no written report has been received by the CAR Monitoring Team from the UN Panel of Experts regarding the political and security situation on the ground,” he said. “For those reasons we cannot recommend approving the requests for any new compliant sub-prefectures that were submitted by the CAR Government for approval. That will only be possible when the newly appointed Panel of Experts has completed its work on the ground and a Review Mission has taken place, under safe conditions for all participants.”