The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development is scheduled to discuss the suggested Diamond System Warranty Protocol in an upcoming meeting to be held later this month. The meeting aims to add diamonds to the “OECD’s Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Supply Chains.”



The meeting, as first disclosed by Chaim Even-Zohar, is organized by U.S. State Department's Conflict Diamond Advisor Brad Brooks-Rubin with the help of Jewelers of America, who developed the diamond protocol.



The agenda for the meeting was developed by Global Witness, the NGO that was part of the Kimberley Process civil society coalition, but left it, saying the KP failed.



While a dialogue with the OECD has possible far-reaching implications for the trade, key elected leaders were not clearly aware of the meeting – or invited to it. This includes, for example, the presidents of the diamond exchanges.



Quite a few diamond industry leaders expressed "utter amazement – and even anger" that a small self-appointed mixed government, civil society and "extremely limited diamond industry group" approached the OECD "supposedly on behalf of the overall diamond industry," Even Zohar wrote. "The OECD says it is responding to 'industry stakeholders.'”