Antwerp, February 17, 2011 – Registration is now taking place for the 2011 Presidents' Meeting of the International Diamond Manufacturers Association (IDMA) in the Botswana capital of Gaborone from April 4 to 7. The meeting's hosts, the Botswana Diamond Manufacturers Association (BDMA), is planning a top-level event to highlight Botswana’s important role in the global diamond business.
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"This gathering of the international diamond manufacturing business community event will be a first for Botswana," said BDMA president Mervin Lipschitz, "It will be a wonderful opportunity to showcase not only our thriving industry to the diamond world, but also the warm and receptive country within which we operate.”
IDMA President Moti Ganz noted that it was important to hold IDMA meetings in diamond producing countries. "We're honored to be hosted by the Botswana government and BDMA. Botswana is a prime example of how the diamond mining industry has contributed positively to the development of the economy and social structure of a previously disadvantaged country," Ganz stated.
The core event of the meeting will be on April 4, with the Botswana hosts staging a diamond industry "Stakeholders Roundtable," and panel discussion, entitled "The Diamond Beneficiation Pitso." Pitso is the Botswana word for an informal village, or townhall, meeting.
The Diamond Beneficiation Pitso will take place at the Walmont hotel at The Grand Palm of Gaborone between 9:00 and 12:00. On April 5, a Gala Dinner will be held in Gaborone in the presence of the Guest of Honor, His Excellency President Ian Khama.
Participants in the 2011 IDMA Presidents' Meeting will also have the opportunity to visit the rough diamond sorting facilities and offices of the Diamond Trading Company of Botswana, as well as a tour of the famous Jwaneng mine, led by the mine's top managers and engineers.
Thursday, Jan 23rd
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Address by Ronnie VanderLinden at Opening Session of the 21st Presidents’ Meeting, at the Almas Tower, Dubai, UAE, September 24, 2019.
Ahmed Bin Sulayem, Executive Chairman of the Dubai Multi Commodities Centre (DMCC);
Ernest Blom, President of the World Federation of Diamond Bourses;
Edgar Diego de Carvallo, Chief Executive Officer of the African Diamond Producers Association (ADPA);
Gaetano Cavalieri, President of CIBJO, the World Jewellery Confederation;
Honored guests, colleagues, friends, ladies and gentlemen,
Had we all arrived here, to wonderful Dubai, without a pre-designated agenda, we’d still all know what the challenges are that we need to tackle, as we all in the same boat.
When the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme (KPCS) was launched officially on January 1, 2003, it created for the first time in our industry’s history an ethical threshold that could be universally enforced.