World Jewellery bloc reaffirms support for Fiji’s Ocean works
Gaetano Cavalieri, the president of the World Jewellery Confederation (CIBJO) has joined Fiji to outline and promote the development of a sustainable pearl farming sector in Fiji. Mr Cavalieri said this during a meeting on the margins of the UN Ocean Conference in New York this week. CIBJO is headquartered in Bern, Switzerland and represents the interests of all involved in jewellery, gemstones and precious metals, from mine to marketplace. The project will work to fulfil UN Sustainable Development Goal 14, relating to the health of the oceans, seas and marine environments, as well as providing sustainable economic and opportunities for the country’s citizens. Among the members of the Fijian delegation, which presented the project at an official side event, were the country’s Minister for Fisheries Semi Koroilavesau, and Justin Hunter, chairman of the Fiji Pearl Association. CIBJO has worked with the association to formulate a plan for the development of a national, community-based, pearl farming industry that will enhance the effectiveness of locally managed marine areas, integrated coastal management, and land and sea management programmes, while also creating meaningful employment and income-generating opportunities for communities involved in pearl farming. Mr Cavalieri outlined in his address: “There is one sector of the jewellery industry, where both the product and business associated with it are potentially sustainable, and that is cultured pearls “For unlike a mine, which has a finite life span, a pearl farm can continue producing indefinitely, on the condition that it is responsibly managed. In other words, we have an asset that can be renewed and sustained, which in turn can act as a source of sustainable economic and social opportunity.
“The Public Private Partnership that is being proposed in Fiji is an example of what a successful pearl industry can aspire to achieve.”