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Martin Rapaport New Year Message
Dec 20, 2018 11:00 AM
By Martin Rapaport
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Dear Friends,
Greetings and best wishes for a happy, healthy, prosperous
and peaceful New Year.
The New Year is an important time for introspection. For
thinking about our past, present and future.
This New Year has special importance for the Rapaport Group
as we celebrate 40 years of continuous publication of the Rapaport Diamond
Report. While it is nice to announce longevity, celebrate survival and share
perspective, the key issue before us is – what now? What should the Rapaport
Group be doing after 40 years? What goals should we have for the future?
Obviously, we will stay true to our values of creating
ethical, transparent, competitive, efficient markets. We will continue to
introduce innovations that add value and make money for our clients and
ourselves. We will continue to promote good and speak out against wrong. But is
that enough? Is there more that we can and should do?
Fair Trade
After careful consideration, the Rapaport Group has decided
to celebrate its 40-year anniversary by dedicating itself to the creation of
sustainable markets for ethically sourced and fair-trade diamonds and jewelry. While
we will continue to support all legitimate ethical market participants
regardless of size, we will dedicate special resources and efforts to smaller market
participants. In particular, we will go out of our way to create benefit and markets
for artisanal diggers in Africa and small-scale manufacturers in India.
Our first project will focus on artisanal diggers in Sierra Leone.
We will support government efforts to provide tangible benefits to diggers that
sell through legitimate markets. For more information about our efforts, please
read this week’s Bloomberg article “The
Quest for a Moral Diamond,” and view the “Peace Diamond Video”
and the “Sierra
Leone Diggers Speak” video.
I am also pleased that for the first time ever, the village
of Koryardu now has solar-powered lighting and electricity. See
video here. It should be clear that the more our industry and government benefit
artisanal miners, the more diamonds will be sold through legitimate channels.
Our goal is to create a virtuous cycle of benefit and taxation that will
legitimize the artisanal sector and its diamonds.
Rapaport Travel Opportunities
So as to promote relationships and communication within diverse
sectors of the diamond industry, the Rapaport Group is organizing two important
trade missions. The trip to Sierra Leone will take place from Monday, April 1,
to Thursday, April 4, and the Surat, India, trip will take place from Monday,
April 8, to Thursday, April 11.
Both trips will be led by Martin Rapaport and will include
all ground arrangements. There will be optional add-on trips for interested
parties. Please note that we are in the process of initial planning, and detailed
information will only be available mid-January. If you would like to travel
with us, please email travel@rapaport.com
as soon as possible, as space will be strictly limited.
Conclusion
The New Year will bring many new opportunities and
challenges. Let us use the opportunity of the New Year to dedicate ourselves to
new ideals and ideas that will raise us to higher levels of community
consciousness. Let us recognize that the diamond business is about much more
than making money. It is about people and the good that we can do helping
others.
Let us consider that there is a reason G-D gave diamonds to
the poorest people and made the richest people desire them. Improving the lives
of artisanal diggers is Tikkun Olam – making the world a better place.
If my words have created interest, please contact me
directly at rap@diamonds.net.
With best wishes to you and yours for a happy, healthy,
prosperous and peaceful New Year.
Martin Rapaport
Chairman
RAPAPORT
rap@diamonds.net
For additional information about Rapaport Fair Trade Efforts,
view the following links:
Bloomberg
Article: “The
Quest for a Moral Diamond”
Peace
Diamond Video
Sierra
Leone Diggers Speak
Rapaport Brings Light
to Koryardu
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Tags:
africa, Fair Trade, Koryardu, Martin Rapaport, Rapaport, Rapaport Diamond Report, Rapaport Group, Sierra Leone
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