Dorothée Gizenga, Executive Director of the Diamond Development Initiative, announced a grant from the Diamond Manufacturers and Importers Association of America (DMIA).
Established in 1931, DMIA is the leading organization of America's premier diamond manufacturers, importers, and dealers. DMIA membership also includes companies servicing the diamond trade such as banks, shippers, insurers, and grading laboratories. The DMIA is positioned at the forefront in addressing domestic and world diamond industry issues. It acts as a representative for the American diamond industry together with other industry organizations, governmental bodies, and the diamond consuming public. The DMIA is dedicated to advancing and ensuring consumer confidence in diamonds and diamond jewelry.
"Like DDI, we are a non-profit organization," said DMIA President, Ronald Friedman. "DMIA's mission is to promote the highest standards of ethics, integrity and professionalism in the American marketplace, and we are pleased to be able to contribute to the important work of DDI."
More than a million African artisanal diamond diggers and their families live and work in absolute poverty, outside the formal economy, in countries struggling to recover from the ravages of war. The Diamond Development Initiative International is a unique effort to address their problems, bringing together the private sector, NGOs, and governments in a common effort that aims to ensure that diamonds are an engine for development. A key DDI project focuses on "development diamonds", diamonds that are produced responsibly, safely, with respect of human and communities' rights, in conflict-free zones, with beneficiation to communities and payment of fair prices to artisanal miners.
"We are thrilled by news of the DMIA grant," said Dorothée Gizenga. "Ronnie Friedman and DMIA Vice President Ronnie Vanderlinden are longtime supporters of DDI, and DMIA's Executive Director, Ben Kinzler, was at our founding meeting in Accra in 2005. We are very pleased to have DMIA in our corner as we tackle the issues of the year ahead."
