World Diamond Council to hold Annual Meeting in Tel Aviv in May

The Ninth Annual Meeting of the World Diamond Council (WDC) will take place on May 5 and 6 in Tel Aviv, WDC President, Eli Izhakoff, has announced.

The meeting will gather together leaders of the diamond and jewelry industries from around the world, as well as representatives of government and civil society.

It is the official forum for the General Assembly of the WDC, which is charged with managing the diamond industry's effort to eliminate the illegitimate trade in diamonds from areas of conflict.

The Israel Diamond Institute will host the annual meeting, to be held at the Dan Panorama hotel.

"Israel has been the site of a number of milestones in the campaign against conflict diamonds, including the issuing of the first Kimberley Process certificate in 2003," said Izhakoff.

"Our thanks go out to the Israel Diamond Institute, which has demonstrated once again the country's firm commitment to ensuring the ethical integrity of the diamond's chain of distribution," he added.

Meanwhile, IDI Chairman Moti Ganz said, "As founding members of the World Diamond Council, we have firmly supported the organization and its mission from the moment of its establishment, and we are excited to be able to host the Annual Meeting in Tel Aviv in May. We are especially privileged to be able to pay tribute to the WDC's founding president, Eli Izhakoff, who will be stepping aside in June after 13 years of dedication and achievement."

The first day of the annual meeting will include a WDC board meeting and reception in the evening. The second day will include the WDC plenary session, and conclude with a gala dinner.

The WDC meeting will be the third hosted by the Israel Diamond Institute in Israel. The founding meeting of the organization took place in Tel Aviv in 2000, and in 2007 the Fifth Annual Meeting was held in Jerusalem