Working with gifted and enlightened industry leaders at the first Executive Course in Corporate Responsibility, which took place in Antwerp from June 20-22, 2010, was an invigorating experience. I was left with the strong sense that, for the very senior leaders who attended the question was not whether they feel the industry should move forward with CSR, but rather how to do it effectively and successfully.

CIBJO and The World Jewellery Confederation Education Foundation (WJCEF) unveiled its first Executive Course in Corporate Social Responsibility that took place in Antwerp from June 20-22, 2010.

Two weeks ago, HRD Antwerp NV had the exclusive honour of hosting, here in Antwerp, a group of international representatives from the diamond, gem and jewellery trade who participated in the first ever Executive Course in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), held under the auspices of The World Jewellery Confederation Education Foundation (WJCEF).

At the end of the first quarter of this year, we witnessed the realisation of an unprecedented cooperative effort among three major global gem and jewellery trade organizations to publish a cohesive set of colour gemstone disclosure codes.

Keep it simple is my mantra. But my decade at N.A.G. has seen a shift in the jewellery world’s understanding of its ethical responsibilities – and spawned a wave of calls upon the sector to embrace social and environmental responsibility. Initiatives such as the Responsible Jewellery Council (RJC); Fairtrade Gold; The Alliance for Responsible Mining (ARM); No Dirty Gold; CAFOD’s Unearth Justice Campaign; and others have left the average jeweller feeling increasingly under siege. And the urge to bury one’s head in the sand must grow stronger every day!

If anyone needed proof of how central and relevant the role of CIBJO is, the World Jewellery Confederation has now become the most important international diamond, gemstone, pearl and jewellery trade organisation, one only has to take stock of the results of the 2010 CIBJO Congress that was held last month in Munich, Germany.