The Diamond Development Initiative (DDI) began coordinating the technical assistance function of the Kimberley Process with the financial assistance from Signet Jewelers Ltd. This initiative coordinates support among and between Kimberley Process Certification Scheme members in order to enhance compliance and to improve development potential in those countries where diamonds are mined artisanally.
“We very much welcome the opportunity to manage the technical assistance component,” said Dorothée Gizenga, DDI’s executive director of DDI. “This is an important part of the Kimberley Process and one where we feel DDI has a lot of value to add.”
Mark Light, Signet’s CEO, 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 towards helping accomplish that.”
Picture DDI.
