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On Monday, December 3rd, the Belgian Global Compact Network in close cooperation with Unicef Belgium presented the “Children’s rights and Business Principles” at the Egmont Palace in Brussels, in the presence of HRH Princess Mathilde of Belgium and Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Trade and European Affairs, Mr Didier Reynders at the First Children’s Rights and Business Principles Forum.
The forum brought together many different stakeholders such as the Belgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the European Commission, the Council of Europe, Kauri, the private sector including companies like Rosy Blue, Solvay, SNCB, Studio 100, Telenet, Glaxo Smith Kline, Ferrero, Ikea, , Ernst “ Young, Antwerp Management School…
The Antwerp World Diamond Centre supported this forum from the start.
The Principles are important as they address all the different dimensions in which children and business interact, including in the workplace, marketplace and community & environment. They help make sure that children are seen as a key stakeholder by business, and act as a tool for businesses who are comprehensively and systematically looking at what impacts, both negative and positive, their business practices are having on children.
This forum is the result of the commitment made by Rosy Blue NV and Telenet at the LEAD meeting of the Global Compact at the World Economic Forum in Davos in January 2012, to His Secretary General Ban Ki Moon to promote children’s rights and business principles in Belgium and abroad.
Amit Bhansali, CEO Rosy Blue NV: "I am very pleased to have received so much support for this forum. Only together we can create positive impact. Children are at the heart of sustainable development. Every excluded child represents a missed opportunity. When society fails to protect its children it loses the social, cultural and economic contributions they could have made."
Ari Epstein, CEO Antwerp World Diamond Centre: "Somebody once said, that the ultimate test of a moral society is the kind of world that it leaves to its children. In serving the best interests of children, we serve the best interests of all humanity. That is exactly why AWDC is proud to be part of this forum."
In this conference companies, government representatives, academics and civil society reflected about the important role they could play to promote and implement children’s rights in their strategic policy in Belgium and abroad.
www.unglobacompact.org - www.globalcompact.be
www.childrenandbusiness.be
www.awdc.be
The Egmont Institute and the Antwerp World Diamond Centre have the pleasure to invite you to the seminar:
The state of play in the Kimberley Process
Monday 17th December 2012 09.30-12.30
At Palais des Académies, Rue Ducale, 1 1000 Brussels
The aim of this seminar is to analyse the current progress and state of play in theKimberley Process, following the recent expert meeting in Washington in November. The seminar will address issues such as the challenges which lie ahead for the KP in the future, how it will balance concerns of stakeholders within and outside the process, and discuss notable achievements and challenges to date.
Chair:
Egmont Institute
Panel of speakers:
H.E.Mxolisi Nkosi , Ambassador of the Republic of South Africa in Belgium to the Kingdom of Belgium, the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg and the Mission of the European Union
Genoveva Ruiz Calavera, Head of Unit, Service for Foreign Policy Instruments (FPI), Stability Instrument Operations and Foreign Policy Regulatory Instruments (FPI2) European Commission
Mark Van Bockstael, Chief Officer International Affairs at Antwerp World Diamond Centre AWPC
Dorothée Gizenga, Executive Director Diamond Development Initiative International DDI
Alan Martin Research Director Partnership Africa Canada PAC
The working language will be English
Please note that the number of seats for this seminar are limited
The participants may confirm their participation by e-mail to Adriana Bucci: a.bucci@egmontinstitute.be
In her opening speech, Ambassador Milovanovic, Chair of the Kimberley Process, acknowledged the AWDC for its financial and logistical support in achieving a key goal of the KP Chairmanship to enhance communication, transparency and information flow, both within the KP and towards its external stakeholders.
In his closing remarks, Assistant Secretary Fernandez joined the retiring KP Chair in thanking the AWDC for its valuable contribution to the development of the KP website.
In a statement on behalf of EU High Representative Catherine Ashton on the outcome of the Plenary meeting, the EU commends the AWDC for providing administrative support through the built-up of the KP website.
The Plenary Meeting in Washington reconfirmed the positive progress the Kimberley Process has made this year, stating that the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme (KPCS) remains a unique tool for conflict prevention and instrumental to ensure good governance and transparency at KP Participant level. The decision to lift the special monitoring measures with respect to the Marange mining area in Zimbabwe demonstrates the significant progress Zimbabwe has made to improve KP compliance.
The Final Communiqué of the KP Chair confirms the endorsement of the selection of the World Diamond Council to host the Kimberley Process Administrative Support Mechanism (ASM), commencing January 1st, 2013. The ASM will provide logistic, organizational and communications support to the KP on an ongoing basis. The WDC will set up the ASM in collaboration with four of their members, including the Antwerp World Diamond Centre.
For more information, visit www.awdc.be
Useful links:
Antwerp, Monday, December 3th. Only a few months after the official launch of the Antwerp Diamond Tender Facility, First Element (Pty) Ltd organized the first tender in this brand new ‘triple A’ facility. The tender offered rough diamonds, retrieved from the Liqhobong Mine in Lesotho.
Johan Erikson, CEO of First Element, was very pleased with the results: “We had 82 viewings which is a success. We found the offices to be convenient and functional and we received positive comments from our customers. Furthermore, we believe that AWDC and the Diamantkring will be commended and remembered for the bold move in bringing more diamonds to Antwerp. The facility, by being totally independent, adds tremendous value and credibility to the diamonds being offered for sale. We are looking forward to a long and mutually beneficial relationship.”
The next Tender will be held in February next year.
On November 19th, AWDC hosted an exclusive Antwerp Diamond Night in collaboration with ‘Feeling’, one of Belgium’s leading lifestyle magazines. Venue for this event was the MAS Diamond Pavilion.
20 lucky winners were introduced in the brilliant world of diamonds during an entertaining night of diamond workshops, diamond cocktails, interviews and an exclusive meet & greet with David Menes, a young and vibrant talent in the world of jewelry design.
At the end of the night, two lucky ladies won an exclusive jewel, designed by David Menez, worth 500 euro.
Compared to October 2011, the volume of exported polished diamonds increased 12.81 percent. In October this year, 601,053.70 carats polished diamonds were exported whereas in October 2011, this equaled 532,782.34 carats. In value terms, this implies a drop of 4.43 percent. The average export price per carat of polished diamond in October 2012 was 1,757 U.S. dollar.
During the first ten months of 2012, the volume of exported polished diamonds decreased 18.58 percent to 5,849,917.86 carats compared to exactly one year ago. This equals a drop of 9.18 percent in value terms.
When we take a look at the polished import figures of October 2012, we can see a downfall of 2.42 percent in volume terms and a decrease of 9.87 percent in value terms compared to October 2011.
From January to October this year, 6,446,161.09 carats polished diamonds were imported. This is a decrease of 16.87 percent in volume terms and a drop of 5.76 percent in value terms.
The figures of rough diamonds in October 2012 show better results. In October, no less than 10,019,269.51 carats of rough diamonds were exported. This equals an increase of 142.76 percent in volume terms, which translates into a 67.15 percent rise in value terms to 1,241,849,723 U.S. dollar compared to October 2011.
When we take the first ten months of 2012 into account, we see a drop of 5.28 percent in volume terms to 85,185,560.18 carats exported rough diamond compared to the first ten months of 2011. In value terms this equals a downfall of 8.11 percent to 11,079,775,695 U.S. dollars.
The import figures of rough diamond in October this year indicate a 50.71 percent rise in volume terms and a 29.05 percent increase in value terms compared to a year ago.
From January to October this year, Antwerp imported 73,754,849.41 carats rough diamond. This is a drop of 14.57 percent in volume terms and a decrease of 11.95 percent in value terms compared to the first 10 months of 2011.
The Diamond Development Initiative International (DDI International) has opened its annual industry fundraising campaign, and the first contributions have been made by the Antwerp World Diamond Centre (AWDC) and the International Diamond Manufacturers Association (IDMA).
Fair prices, safe working conditions, education, human rights: these are what DDI is working on at the grass roots of the African and South American diamond industry.
Dorothee Gizenga, DDII Executive Director: “Support from AWDC is very important to us, because this organization represent such a broad cross-section of the industry. One of the best ways industry can show its commitment is through international trade associations like AWDC.”
AWDC is the coordinating body and the official representative of the Antwerp diamond sector, and as such is recognized internationally as the host, spokesperson and intermediary for the Belgian diamond community. AWDC is fully engaged in fostering high standards of Corporate Social Responsibility in the industry.
Stéphane Fischler, President of AWDC said, “We hope that our contribution will encourage others in the industry to join this campaign and to help build a solid base for DDI’s excellent work in Africa and South America. DDI is working to improve the lives of people who are very much part of our industry.”
DDI's support to capacity building to enhance Kimberley Process (KP) internal controls complements AWDC's initiatives to provide training and technical assistance. AWDC actively helps countries to set up their internal KP legislation. AWDC believes that KP compliance is a crucial element in the economical development of a sustainable diamond industry, especially on the African continent. AWDC is confident that DDI's efforts to regulate Africa's artisan diamond diggers will also contribute to a better level playing field for the KP.
DDI was started five years ago as a way of bringing industry, governments and civil society together to tackle the problem of Africa’s 1.5 million artisan diamond diggers. The diamonds they produce and the places they work are where conflict diamonds began and where the potential for renewed violence remains. Although the diamond wars have ended and the Kimberley Process tracks the international rough diamond trade, little has changed for the average digger, who earns a dollar a day, working under appalling conditions.
Dorothee Gizenga, DDI Executive Director: “The Diamond Development Initiative is working on a diamond industry problem, it needs and deserves diamond industry support.”
Issued by the Federal Public Service Economy, EU KP Authority, Belgium
