MISSION

The World Jewellery Confederation focuses on issues which concern the industry and trade worldwide, primary among them the protection of consumer confidence. It does so by promoting and enabling the harmonisation and regulation of technical standards, terminology, operating principles, and practices related to sustainability, responsible sourcing and transparent supply chains.

Functioning as a centre of knowledge and education, the Confederation pursues its objectives through collaborative debate and discussion, research, learning and communication.

To advance the objective of universally harmonised standards and terminology, the Confederation maintaIns its Blue Book system and also produces other guidance documents.

The Confederation develops and supports responsible sourcing and sustainable initiatives and programmes that address threats to the integrity of gemstones, precious metals and finished jewellery.

Thai government and world jewellery industry leaders greet delegates at the 2017 CIBJO Congress in Bangkok, Thailand.

STRUCTURE

The World Jewellery Confederation is organized according to sectors, or areas of interest. They are: Sector A (Gem Materials, Trade and Laboratories), Sector B (Jewellery Distribution) and Sector C (Jewellery Manufacturing/Technology/Precious Metals).

The official bodies of CIBJO are the General Assembly of Delegates; the 30-person Board of Directors; the Executive Committee, which is made up of 15 members of the Board, the President’s Council; the Internal Finance and Audit Committee and the External Auditor. The CIBJO Secretariat and Administration represents CIBJO for all routine matters of internal business.

The powers and duties of the General Assembly are to elect the Officers, who are President, Vice Presidents and the Treasurer; to elect the Board of Directors; elect the External Auditor; and to approve any proposed changes to the Statutes and the By-Laws.

The governance of World Jewellery Confederation is vested in its Board of Directors, which meets regularly several times a year.

The Officers and at least five other member representatives make up the President’s Council, each of whom is appointed by the President.

Commissions are formed to focus on specific topics of interest, and they may cover issues falling under the purview of one or multiple sectors. 

Active commissions currently include the Diamond Commission, the Coloured Stone Commission, the Pearl Commission, the Gemmological Commission, the Marketing and Education Commission, the Precious Metals Commission, the Ethics Commission, the Coral Commission, and the Responsible Sourcing Commission.

There are additionally committees focusing on subjects specific to different parts of the industry. 

Currently, these committees include the Technology Committee and the Laboratory-Grown Diamond Committee and the Responsible Sourcing Nomenclature Committee.

While the various Confederation bodies meet regularly, all gather at the CIBJO Congress. It typically is held each year in a different country, with one or more of the member associations acting as hosts.

The World Jewellery Confederation’s General Assembly in session at the 2012 CIBJO Congress in Vicenza, Italy.

A meeting of the Board of Directors at the 2015 CIBJO Congress in Salvador da Bahia, Brazil.

The Precious Metals Commission deliberates at the 2018 CIBJO Congress in Bogotá, Colombia.  

 

MILESTONES
1926
The World Jewellery Confederation is founded in Paris in 1926 as BIBOA, a multinational body representing the interests of the jewellery trade in Europe.
1961
The World Jewellery Confederation is restructured as CIBJO. Now a global rather than a European association, it begins accepting members from other parts of the world.
2006
The World Jewellery Confederation became the first and only organisation in the diamond, gemstone and jewellery sectors ever to receive official consultative status with the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) of the United Nations. That same year it joins the UN Global Compact.
2008
With the support of the United Nations, the World Jewellery Confederation Education Foundation (WJCEF) is established. It is charged with developing programmes to educate members of the diamond, gemstone and jewellery industries about the principles of Corporate Social Responsibility and sustainability.
2011
The World Jewellery Confederation is the driving force behind the establishment by the United Nations Institute of Training and Research (UNITAR) in Antwerp of a Centre of Excellence dedicated to CSR education in the international jewellery and gem sectors.
2013
The Jewellery Industry Greenhouse Gas Measurement Initiative is launched to help reduce, neutralize and offset the emission of carbon gases in the jewellery industry.
2015 & 2020
The Confederation plays a critical role in the creation by ISO, the International Organization for Standardisation, of standards for the identification and grading of diamonds. These include ISO 18323 in 2015 and ISO 24106 in 2020.
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