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The Antwerp World Diamond Centre is commended in a resolution adopted by the UN General Assembly. The resolution, presented by the outgoing chair of the Kimberley Process, U.S. Ambassador Gillian Milovanovic, highlights the role of the KP in helping eliminate the trade in conflict diamonds.
The resolution welcomes the important contribution of the Kimberley Process. It notes with satisfaction that the implementation of the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme continues to have a positive impact in reducing the opportunity for conflict diamonds to play a role in fuelling armed conflict. It mentions the role of the KP being instrumental in protecting the legitimate trade and ensures the effective implementation of the relevant UN resolutions relating to conflict diamonds. It also acknowledges that lessons learned from the Kimberley Process might be useful for the work of the UN Peace Building Commission.
The UN resolution explicitly applauds the efforts of the Antwerp World Diamond Centre in the development of a more efficient and effective Kimberley Process website. Furthermore, the UN General Assembly acknowledges the KP decision to establish a Kimberley Process administrative support mechanism (ASM), hosted by the World Diamond Council and supported actively by the AWDC.
In addition the resolution praises the work of the Kimberley Process Working Group of Diamond Experts, chaired by Mark Van Bockstael (AWDC), for its work in close collaboration with the UN Group of Experts on Côte d'Ivoire.
Stéphane Fischler, President AWDC, "This triple citation of activities spearheaded by the Antwerp World Diamond Centre in the Kimberley Process resolution of the United Nations General Assembly, is a well-deserved gratification and approving nod for all the hard work and resources that the Antwerp diamond community has invested in eradicating conflict diamonds."
Compared to December 2011, the volume of exported polished diamond decreased 18.91 percent. In value terms, this translates into a 17.63 percent drop to 997,878,263 U.S. dollar. The average price per carat of exported diamond equaled 1,866 U.S. dollar in December 2012.
By studying the polished export figures in 2012, we see a decrease of 18.09 percent compared to 2011 in volume terms. However, in value terms, this translates into a smaller drop of 9.76 percent to 13,211,253,157 U.S. dollar.
When we take a look at the import figures of polished diamond in December 2012, we see a 37,01 percent drop in volume terms and a 29,44 percent decrease in value terms compared to exactly one year ago.
From January to December, 7,440,164.02 carats polished diamonds were imported. Compared to 2011, this is a 17.20 percent downfall in volume terms. In value terms we see a 8.04 percent decrease to 12,904,519,190 U.S. dollar.
In December, 12,031,067.60 carats rough diamonds were exported. This equals a 38 percent increase in volume terms compared to December 2011. In value terms, this translates into a 16.86 percent increase to 1,393,946,992 U.S. dollar.
In total, 104,414,258.85 carat rough diamond was exported in 2012. This is a 2.5 percent decrease in volume terms and a 6.26 percent drop in value terms compared to 2011.
When we study the import figures of rough diamond in December 2012, we see a 26.44 percent increase in volume terms and a 12.68 percent increase in value terms compared to exactly one year ago.
From January to December 2012, we see a 10.70 percent drop in volume terms to 88,299,858.70 carat imported rough diamond. In value terms, this is a 8.79 percent downfall compared to 2011.
Issued by the Federal Public Service Economy, EU KP Authority, Belgium
Last week, the coalition partners of the new Antwerp City Council presented their Administrative Agreement. In the Agreement, entitled "Respect for A", the Antwerp diamond sector is one of the sections. Alderman for Diamond and Urban Development, Ludo Van Campenhout will continue to promote Antwerp, city of diamonds, and defend the interests of the Antwerp diamond community, both at home and abroad.
Following up on last year’s report on the global diamond industry, Lifting the Veil of Mystery, Antwerp World Diamond Centre (AWDC) and Bain & Company now release a second annual report, focusing more in detail on the dynamics of consumer demand across the globe.
Ari Epstein, CEO AWDC: “With ‘Lifting the Veil of Mystery’, we were able to provide unprecedented insight in the complex dynamics of our industry. The report shed light on the fundamentals of our business and explored potential future scenarios through a demand and supply forecast. The resulting document is widely acknowledged as an invaluable tool in understanding how the global diamond industry works. That is why we decided to continue our collaboration with Bain & Company. This second report, with an in depth analysis of the underlying processes of consumer demand, was the next logical step.”
In ‘The Global Diamond Industry – Portrait of Growth’, Bain & Company investigated the demand fundamentals that will shape the diamond industry’s near- and medium-term future and offers evidence for a positive outlook. Starting with a review of 2011, it discusses how the long-term supply-demand balance affects prices and how macroeconomic developments and changing consumer preferences are influencing the industry. For the first time, the report also maps the similarities and differences in consumer preferences, based on surveys of more than 5,000 consumers around the world. The document also further explores the three largest diamond markets, - the US, China and India -, representing 60% of the global diamond demand.
By combining these findings with extensive market analysis, including the latest developments of key diamond miners and the largest diamond mines worldwide, the report concludes with an update on the outlook for the diamond industry through 2020.
Stéphane Fischler, President AWDC: “Given Antwerp’s leadership role on all levels of the diamond industry, it is fitting that AWDC sponsored this report. Over hundreds of years, Antwerp has created a robust diamond cluster that includes a multitude of specialized players, including producers, sightholders, high-end cutters and polishers, and specialized financial and educational institutions. The dynamics of competition and cooperation ensure that the city remains at the heart of the international diamond trade.”
The average export price per carat of polished diamond in November 2012 was 2,050 U.S. dollar. This is higher than in October 2012 when the average price equaled 1,757 U.S. dollar.
Compared to November 2011, the volume of exported polished diamonds decreased 11.73 percent. In value terms, this translates into a 7.83 percent drop.
During the first 11 months of 2012, 6,412,444.52 carats polished diamond were exported. This equals a 18.02 percent decrease in volume terms and a 9.05 percent decrease in value terms.
When we take a look at the import figures of polished diamonds in November 2012, we see a 0.15 percent increase in volume terms to 588,126.16 carats imported diamonds compared to November 2011. In value terms, this implies a 11 percent drop compared to a year ago.
From January to November 2012, 7,034,281.22 carats polished diamonds were imported. This equals a decrease of 15.67 percent in volume terms and a 6.23 percent drop in value terms to 12,129,694,849 U.S. dollar compared to the first 11 months of 2011.
When we study the figures of exported rough diamonds in November 2012, we see a 14.70 percent decrease in volume terms compared to November 2011. In value terms, this equals a 10.79 percent drop to 1,044,384,344 U.S. dollar.
From January to November 2012, 92,383,191.25 carats rough diamonds were exported. Compared to 2011, this equals a 6.09 percent drop in volume terms, which equals a 8.34 percent decrease in value terms to 12,124,146,674 U.S. dollar.
The import figures of rough diamond in November 2012 show better results. 7,892,988.74 carats rough diamond were imported last month. Compared to November 2011, this is a 8.23 percent increase in volume terms and a 10.2 percent increase in value terms.
During the first 11 months of this year, 81,647,838.69 carats rough diamonds were imported. Compared to last year, this equals a 12.79 percent downfall in volume terms and a 10.2 percent decrease in value terms.
On November,23rd the AWDC launched its new website. To celebrate, we organized a contest for all Antwerp diamond companies. The first price, an Ipad mini, was won by Mr. Vanani Jihnesh. Congratulations!
The right answers to our questions were:
1. Which event will AWDC organise on December 15th? Antwerp Diamond Day
2. Which famousdiamond is also known as 'star of Africa'? The Cullinan
3. How many people will have visited the new AWDC website by Friday, November 23th, 8PM? 1241
The first price went to Vanani Jihnesh (tiebreaker: 1243) – Ipad Mini
The second price went to Derouck Laurence (tiebreaker: 1250) – AWDC Gift Bag
The third price went to Maria Van Herck (tiebreaker: 1225) - AWDC Gift Bag
Antwerp, December 5th - 2012. On Tuesday, an official delegation led by H.E. Tlali Khasu, Minister of Mines of the Kingdom of Lesotho was welcomed by AWDC's President Stéphane Fischler and CEO Ari Epstein.
The visit of the high level delegation to Antwerp's diamond district marks the excellent relationships Lesotho and Antwerp have enjoyed as preferred partners in the rough diamond trade.
AWDC's CEO Ari Epstein: "We are honored to have the Minister as our guest today, it underscores the strong ties between Lesotho and Antwerp. Today the majority of Lesotho's diamonds are already traded in Antwerp. We believe that in the future, Antwerp can be an even more relevant partner for Lesotho, more specifically in the development of a sustainable diamond trade. We look forward to continuing and further developing this mutual beneficial partnership in the future."
