Address Stéphane Fischler, President AWDC at Angola Centenary Diamond Conference
"Centenary celebrations symbolize that the diamond industry is not about a zero-sum game of winners and losers, but about shared responsabilities and mutual benefit.", said Stéphane Fischler, President of the Antwerp World Diamond Centre, in his address today to the Angola Centenary Diamond Conference, in Luanda, Angola.
The following is the full text of his address:
Your Excellences,
Guests of honor,
Dear colleagues and friends,
It is indeed quite unique to be a privileged witness to the centenary celebrations of one of Africa's leading diamond producers.
If you allow me, I would like to start by sharing our vision with you: we strongly believe in the need, for all to engage in leaving behind us what some call the African resource curse.
At the same time we must be both conscious and respectful of the open wounds and scars that have not yet been given a chance to heal. We must accept the fact that history is not an equalizing factor but a tale with multiple facets. Some have been polished, while others are still in the rough.
Lest we forget, we must focus on the future and pledge not to re-live the tragedies of the past. The world around us keeps evolving. Our personal ideas of progress are being challenged by globalization.
Dear friends, the truth is that there is no such thing as one magical recipe. But there is however one common standard: Do no harm. We have to live up to our responsibilities in the same way we protect and treasure our own parents and children.
Now, more than ever, it is time to be truthful to the legacy of diamonds and care for the millions of people on this continent who toil day in day out. For all of those that play their part in enabling the journey of a rough diamond into the most wondrous of objects; the ultimate symbol of love and affection. We must support those who have worked so hard, many deprived of the basic necessities to ensure a decent life and future for their families, deprived of their fair share.
I, for one, am convinced that we all share the same ideals, but not the same strategy.
We believe that it is from the roots of this earth that sustainable progress will emerge.
By yourselves and for yourselves. For each and every one of you.
We do not believe in the top-down, professor to pupil model, but in the interaction and exchange between mature minds. I hear people speaking about "new silk routes" with the explicit aim of bypassing others, dividing the field in "Tradition" vs the "New".
But those whose strategy it is to oppose these two, are shortsighted and ill focused.
All diamond centers, whether they are young or old, creating opportunities and adding value for their respective businesses, are relevant and deserve respect.
As I said on more than one occasion, our industry is not about a zero-sum game as some in "team silk" tend to believe. Our gain does not equal to your loss. It can and should mean a plus for us all. Our industry must be based, and that is our core believe, on non-exclusive joint partnerships for growth against stagnation. A choice for success vs failure. Partnerships to improve the lives of all of us involved. And by 'us' I mean all of you present here today, and all those that aren't; the diggers - working deep underground or in riverbeds,.. the miners, the polishers, the designers, the retailers, the bankers, the government officials and civil servants. All of us who make this incredible journey from mine to finger a reality each and every day.
That is precisely why we believe all of us must also honor our commitment to safeguard the integrity of the Kimberley process. In an ever-changing world, that means we need to develop towards a proactive approach of conflict prevention through the introduction of sustainability standards.
Ladies and Gentlemen, the cover of the May issue of the "New African" magazine was entitled "Our future made in Africa". Your future, and the challenges it holds, are in your hands. Not in American, Chinese, European or Indian hands. Let us together leave aid behind for a vision of growth. A vision that steers us away from dependence and towards innovation and development.
One of the organizations that perfectly illustrate that principle is the Diamond Development Initiative (DDI), supported by the Angolan government - one of the first African countries to contribute - alongside the Antwerp World Diamond Centre and many others. Together, we are confident we can succeed in tackling the problem of Africa's 1.5 million artisanal diamond diggers, who must be made an integral part of our common future and success.
Together we can change the world. We do not believe that a winning team must inevitably imply losers, but must involve strong leadership with an open and equal space of opportunities for all.
Let us build "team world".
Partnerships between producers, polishers and retailers are more than ever critical to secure sustainability for all and face the current challenges presented by our competitors for the share of the consumer’s wallet.
Dear hosts, celebrating a centenary is an exceptional gift for which we must all be thankful. Your 100-year legacy has been achieved through enormous sacrifices and hard labor. We owe it to all of those who are not here with us anymore to commemorate and pay our respect to them. To those who are here today I would like to say; you have created an enormous opportunity and are offering hope to millions.
But for this hope to be turned into action, long-term profitability for all those that turn rough into polished diamonds must be assured. If not, we are putting an impossibly high mortgage on our joint aspirations.
Let me congratulate you, in the name of all of us who with great pride, continue a tradition that is touching the hearts and minds of those that ultimately cherish the fruits of our common labor and creativity; the eternal brilliance of a diamond.
Let us all unite and proudly work together, to ensure further, sustained and fair growth. A brilliant and profitable future for all.
Thank you.
