The World Diamond Council (WDC) welcomes the G7 Leaders’ Statement, which was issued on December 6, 2023, and reiterates its commitment to supporting the G7 countries’ stated objectives regarding import limitations on non-industrial diamonds mined, processed, or manufactured in Russia.
The WDC understands that the G7 Leaders’ Statement was a high-level declaration and welcomes the G7’s expressed determination to continue consultations in order to develop an effective mechanism to achieve these goals.
The WDC will seek additional engagements with the G7 in order to support their phased introduction of import restrictions, focusing on the following priorities:
1. The importance of providing African producing countries with the freedom and independence to verify and certify the origin of rough diamonds mined in their territories.
2. Ensuring that any technology-based solutions used to verify the origin and provenance of diamonds are available to both bigger and smaller industry players, including artisanal and small-scale miners.
3. Ensure that the new measures improve, rather than limit, access to G7 consumer markets for ethically sourced natural diamonds.