Antwerp: Exactly two weeks before the start of the 37th World Diamond Congress (WDC), the biennial meeting of the World Federation of Diamond Bourses (WFDB) and the International Diamond Manufacturers Association (IDMA), organizers are putting the final touches to the meeting schedule. Among the issues to be discussed at the Congress is the work and approach of the diamond producers, with leading representatives invited to address the Congress.

The Congress, to take place in Dubai from May 16 to 19, will address the issue of ‘Transparency, Responsibility, Sustainability in Producing Countries’ on the morning of May 19, with representatives of global producers participating in a panel discussion.

“We are expecting delegates from the major diamond producing companies and countries to take part,” stated WFDB President Ernie Blom. “They will present their views on the state of the market and their supply strategies, as well as other subjects.

“For the first time at a World Diamond Congress, we are introducing a panel element with the aim of encouraging attendees to take part. This should lead to some fascinating exchanges, with highly relevant questions from the floor to the panelists.

“Rough diamond purchases have been encouragingly strong in the first months of 2016 and I am sure this will be one of the issues that the producers will address and on which they will face questions from the audience,” Blom concluded.