Philippe Mellier, De Beers CEO will be hosted by the World Diamond Council (WDC) as amongst the guests at its 2014 Annual General Meeting, where Mr. Mellier will address a special all-day session on October 29. The session will focus on issues associated with the Kimberley Process, 14 years after its establishment, and the associated role of the WDC in relation to the risks facing the KP.

The Annual Meeting is slated from October 28 to 30 and is being hosted by the Antwerp World Diamond Center (AWDC) in Antwerp.

The WED noted that the brainstorming session would be the most significant innovation at the 2014 Meeting, where the members will take a broad view of the various ethical, legal and financial challenges facing the KP, including the risks related to rough diamond trading mentioned in a Financial Action Task Force (FATF) report earlier this year. In this respect, the participants in the meeting will discuss what strategies may be employed by WDC specifically, and the industry in general. Prior to the meeting WDC members have been polled to gauge their opinions, and the results of the survey will be analyzed and discussed.