The current Chair of the Kimberley Process (KP) Certification Scheme, Mrs. Hilde Hardeman, Director – Head of Service for Foreign Policy Instruments, European Union (EU) recently paid her first official visit to India after assuming office. She was accompanied by Mr. Ambassador Phillipe Beke, Senior Policy Advisor, EU.

During her two-day visit to the country on May 14-15, 2018, Mrs. Hardeman visited Delhi and Mumbai. In Delhi, she held a meeting with Mr. Manoj Dwivedi, Jt Sec, Ministry of Commerce & Industry, Govt of India, who is also heading the KP Working Group on Reform and Review, and a GJEPC delegation led by Chairman Shri Pramod Agrawal and ED, Shri Sabyasachi Ray. India is also the current KP Vice-Chair, and will assume the position of Chair from January 1, 2019. They discussed various issues related to the work of the KP and the ongoing review process, and also various aspects of artisanal and alluvial mining particularly in Africa.

Subsequently, the team from EU also visited Mumbai to get a deeper understanding of the working of the Indian diamond and jewellery industry. They had a meeting with officials of the GJEPC who made a presentation on the growth and development of the Indian industry. Later, the EU team were taken around the BDB and shown a demonstration of the working of the synthetic diamond detection machines developed by the GII and used at the Diamond Detection and Research Centre (DDRC) on the premises. Visits were also organized to the Indian Institute of Gems & Jewellery (IIGJ) and a jewellery factory in SEEPZ.

Pic caption: Mrs. Hilde Hardeman, Director – Head of Service for Foreign Policy Instruments, European Union (EU) & KP Chair (centre) and Mr. Ambassador Phillipe Beke, Senior Policy Advisor, EU (to her left) seen with Mr Manoj Dwivedi  JS, MoC&I, Mr Pramod Agrawal, Chairman GJEPC, Mr Sabyasachi Ray, ED, GJEPC and other officials.