18
Ya’akov Almor , Joint Director of Communications ,on behalf of:
Dr. Gaetano CavalieriCIBJO President
Rapaport Fair Trade Jewelry ConferenceJCK Las Vegas, June 1, 2009
Corporate Social Corporate Social ResponsibilityResponsibility in the Jewellery Industry: in the Jewellery Industry: What jewellery professionals need to What jewellery professionals need to learn and do to commit themselves to learn and do to commit themselves to follow best practices with regard to follow best practices with regard to ethics and social responsibility. ethics and social responsibility.
Corporate Social Responsibility: the
jewellery industry’s roleAs a business sector, we need to play a role in advancing the sustainable social and economic development of under-privileged people. In our case, these people most often live in regions where our raw materials are produced and processed.
The Jewellery Community
A new understanding of CSR. Ten years
ago we were concentrating
less on doing the right thing, and
more on not doing the wrong
thing.
A new understanding of CSR. Ten years
ago we were concentrating
less on doing the right thing, and
more on not doing the wrong
thing.
In the year 2000, our industry awakened to the possibility that a humanitarian crisis could impact very significantly on our business. It became clear then that not only must we act to eradicate conflict diamonds, but also the world should see our dedication and decisiveness in dealing with the problem. This resulted in the creation of the World Diamond Council and the Kimberley Process system.
Conflict Diamonds
We deal in non-essential, luxury products and to be successful our customers must be absolutely confident in the integrity of our gems and jewellery, as well in as our business community. This requires total transparency on our part.
In 2006, at the CIBJO Congress in Vancouver, Canada, it was announced CIBJO had become the first and only non-governmental organization in the international jewellery business to be accredited by the United Nations, though membership in the UN’s Economic and Social Council, or ECOSOC.
DR. HANIFA MEZOUI. HEAD OF THE NGO DIVISION AT ECOSOC, FORMALLY WELCOMING CIBJO INTO THE UN ORGANISATION. VANCOUVER, CANADA, 2006.
The significance of the partnership between our industry and the UN means that CIBJO represents not only a potential to bring the private sector to work on its social responsibility, but it must become the engine driving the different players in our industry to initiate projects that will provide concrete solutions to social and economic
inequality.
The 8 Millennium Development Goals, which range from halving extreme poverty to halting the spread of HIV/AIDS and providing universal primary education, all by the target date of 2015.
End Goals Defined by United Nations
The Cape Town Declaration
“The jewellery industry, as a member of the international business community, shares a responsibility toward the greater society in seeking practical solutions towards the eradication of extreme poverty and hunger, as well as to developing a global partnership for development.”
“Let the word go out from Cape Town that, while jewellery may described as a luxury product, the industry that produces it is an essential item—certainly when it comes to economic development. When consumers buy jewellery, they should know that not only is it an expression of value, beauty and emotion, but they have contributed to making a better life for people who need it most dearly.”
Since Cape Town, we have dedicated ourselves to transforming our statement of intent into facts on the ground. Much of what has been achieved has been done in cooperation with the United Nations, and with a dedicated team of professionals.
CIBJO OFFICIALS MEETING WITH THE UN SECRETARY-GENERAL, BAN KI MOON. GENEVA, SWITZERLAND, JULY 2007.
Cooperation with United Nations
SLIDE 24
www.sustainablejewellery.org
In 2007, CIBJO unveiled a website dedicated to informing the jewellery industry about sustainable development.
WJCEFWORLD
JEWELLERYCONFEDERATIONEDUCATIONFOUNDATION
The goal of WJCEF is to establish a programme that will educate members of the diamond, gemstone and jewellery industries, all over the world and in all sectors, from mine to market, about the principles of Corporate Social Responsibility, and how they may implement these principles in their businesses.
WJCEFWORLD
JEWELLERYCONFEDERATIONEDUCATIONFOUNDATION
WJCEF Milestones1. Formulation of CSR Impact
Assessment Models for each of the various sectors of the diamond, gemstone and jewellery industries.
2. Production of about 10 CSR training modules, for the different sectors of the jewellery industry.
3. Creation of the “Centre of Excellence,” which is the city in which the programme will be administered, with a qualified institute of higher education.
SLIDE 24
www.sustainablejewellery.org
To learn about these programmes, please go to the case studies section of our website www.sustainablejewellery.org.
Take a press kit here or drop by for one at the CIBJO booth, (Upper) Lobby 48.
At our 2009 CIBJO Congress, which took place last month in Istanbul, Turkey, the WJCEF programme for the jewellery industry was formally outlined by the United Nation’s CSR Team that has been working on the project for more than a year.
Thank you on behalf of
Gaetano Cavalieri, President
www.cibjo.org
