Members of the World Diamond Council (WDC) assembled in Antwerp, Belgium, on October 2 and 3, for the organisation’s annual general meeting (AGM), where proceedings were dominated by discussions about the pending conclusion of the Kimberley Process’ review and reform process, and the related call by the WDC and others that the scope of the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme (KPCS) be broadened. Speaking to the gathering, WDC president Stephane Fischler expressed the organisation’s determination that, when the KP Plenary meets in New Delhi, India, in November, progress be made in strengthening the definition of “conflict diamonds,” so that it better addresses the types of systemic violence being seen in certain diamond-mining areas today.
