WDC President Ronnie VanderLinden addressing the Opening Session of the Kimberley Process Intersessional Meeting in Mumbai, India, on May 11, 2026.

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.

“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 at a time of growing scrutiny around provenance, transparency and trust in the global diamond trade.