Key takeaways
• World Diamond Council President Ronnie VanderLinden called for industry unity and a “”single voice”” to champion the natural diamond trade during the Kimberley Process meeting in Mumbai.
• The industry is focusing on building consumer confidence through transparency, origin, and value as expectations shift regarding the provenance of natural diamonds.
• India’s 2026 Kimberley Process Chairmanship is centered on a “”3Cs Vision”” of Confidence, Credibility, and Compliance to strengthen global trust in the diamond supply chain.
(MUMBAI/NEW YORK) – World Diamond Council President Ronnie VanderLinden today opened the Kimberley Process Intersessional Meeting in Mumbai with a call for unity among all members of the natural diamond trade.
WDC President Ronnie VanderLinden addressing the Opening Session of the Kimberley Process Intersessional Meeting in Mumbai, India, on May 11, 2026.
“We are here for one reason. To be the champion for the natural diamond trade,” VanderLinden said in his opening address.
Speaking to government representatives, industry leaders, and civil society participants from across the Kimberley Process, VanderLinden said the industry must focus on building confidence in natural diamonds and supporting efforts to sell them, as consumer expectations around origin, transparency, and value continue to shift.
He also reaffirmed the World Diamond Council’s commitment to advancing discussions around updating the Kimberley Process definition of conflict diamonds, while ensuring the process continues to support confidence in natural diamonds globally.
“We need to support the trade. And we need to move forward together,” VanderLinden said. “Because if we do not sell natural diamonds to people who understand where they come from, what they represent, and what they mean, nothing else we do here matters.”
The Kimberley Process Intersessional Meeting is being hosted in Mumbai under India’s 2026 Chairmanship.
India’s chairmanship is centered on its “3Cs Vision” of Confidence, Credibility, and Compliance, aimed at strengthening the Kimberley Process amid growing scrutiny of provenance, transparency, and trust in the global diamond trade.
CONTACT
For media inquiries, please contact: James Doran
james@worlddiamondcouncil.org
About the World Diamond Council
The World Diamond Council (WDC) is an industry organization focused on preventing conflict diamonds from entering the global supply chain and preserving the value of natural diamonds. Formed in 2000, it is the only organization that represents the diamond trade in full, from producer to retailer. It includes the most influential commercial businesses, not-for-profit organizations, and individual companies in the industry today. The WDC is the voice of the international diamond industry in a tripartite collaboration with governments and civil society known as the Kimberley Process (KP). The KP secures and manages monitoring processes that have virtually eliminated the trade in conflict diamonds, ensuring that the world’s supply of diamonds comes from sources free of conflict. Visit www.worlddiamondcouncil.org to learn more.
