by eyetee | November 22, 2013 3:24 pm
The World Diamond Council (WDC) is offering its congratulations to Angola after it was appointed vice-chair of the Kimberley Process (KP).
“It is a proud moment for the Kimberley Process that a country once afflicted by civil conflict has now regained political and economic stability and, as a consequence, is in a position to assume a position of leadership in the very institution that helped set it on its way to recovery,” said WDC president Avi Paz. “We wish Angola the very best of luck.”
The announcement came at the recent KP plenary session in Johannesburg. The plenary also agreed to extend its agreement with the WDC to oversee the KP’s Administrative Support Mechanism (ASM) until 2016.
WDC had previously announced its support for Angola’s vice-chairmanship, welcoming the government’s vision to lead “the transformation of industrial and artisanal diamond exploration and their trading in an undertaking of peace and prosperity and compliance with fundamental human rights for the benefit of communities, peoples, and nations.”
Wei Chuanzhong, vice-minister of general administration of quality supervision, inspection, and quarantine of the People’s Republic of China assumes the role of KP chair in 2014. He takes over from Ambassador Welile Nhlapo of South Africa.
Paz also welcomed continued dialogue on how to expand the definition of conflict diamonds to better align with the changing geopolitical environment.
Source URL: https://www.jewellerybusiness.com/news/wdc-welcomes-new-kp-vice-chair/
Copyright ©2025 Jewellery Business unless otherwise noted.