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Rubel & Ménasché Supports DDI International
Aug 25, 2014 9:55 AM
By Rubel & Ménasché
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Press Release: The Diamond Development Initiative (DDI) International is very pleased to announce a financial contribution to its work from Rubel & Ménasché.
The Rubel & Ménasché grant will provide general support, assisting DDI in several projects now under way, including a major registration project in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) which is bringing more than 50,000 artisanal miners into the formal sector.
"I am just about to leave for a month in the Congo and I can say that Rubel & Ménasché's support is not just a vote of support for our work," said Dorothee Gizenga, DDI's executive director. "It is a solid example of how the concept of corporate social responsibility has expanded beyond the immediate corporate environment to a wider world of development possibilities."
The Paris-based French diamantaire Rubel & Ménasché is a supplier of specialty, high-end diamonds to the jewelry trade. The company is a member of the Responsible Jewellery Council and has been a supporter of DDI since 2012.
In addition to its project in the DRC, DDI International is working with local leaders and civil society in Sierra Leone to identify sites where diamonds can be produced in ways that are environmentally sound, and where diggers receive a fair price, working under safe conditions.
Their diamonds will then be tracked through the trading, polishing and retail system to provide customers with gems that go beyond standard definitions of ethical and fair trade products. These pilots, if successful stand to revolutionize the development prospects for miners like these and their communities -- where an estimated 16 percent of the world's gem diamonds are produced.
There are an estimated 1.3 million artisanal diamond diggers across Africa, serving as the primary breadwinner for families that total as many as 10 million people. These diggers earn on average, about a dollar a day, and there are tens of thousands like them in South America as well.
"Enhancing working conditions and empowering employees are principles we value most at Rubel & Ménasché. In the same way that we committed to providing the best service to our customers, we believe that supporting our industry by helping DDI is a not only a genuine need but also a smart business decision," said Stephan Wolzok, the CEO of Rubel & Ménasché. "We are proud to be part of DDI's restless efforts".
Ian Smillie, the chair of DDI's board, said, "Our partnership with Rubel & Ménasché is extremely important to us. We believe that the positive impact at the source of the diamond pipeline will, in time, be enormous."
For more information on DDI, visit our website at www.ddiglobal.org.
Rapaport News is not responsible for, and does not endorse, the content of any third-party press release. This is not a Rapaport Press Release. It has been provided as additional information for our clients.
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Tags:
Congo, CSR, DCR, ddi, Rubel & Menasche, Rubel & Ménasché, Sierra Leone
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