International gold and jewellery industry leaders enthusiastic about launch of Dubai initiative at 2nd Dubai City of Gold Conference

During this address he announced details of the Dubai Initiative - an initiative of the Gold and Jewellery Group, that will see the city become an international trading and manufacturing hub for the precious metal and gemstone business.

The two-day conference was hailed by participants as a huge success. With representatives from 16 different countries attending, many outlined how the event offered a unique opportunity for all segments of the gold and jewellery value chain to come together and interact - consequently unifying the industry's commitment to quality development.

In a passionate speech Tawhid Abdullah, declared, 'The creation of the Dubai initiative is strongly supported by the visionary leadership of the government of Dubai - we can ensure you that should you decide to work from this dynamic centre that your businesses will be supported from the highest level. I would like to thank the international organisations, who have come to Dubai, for their support, and we welcome you to work with us to enhance your operations and to seriously consider our City of Gold as a hub for your global and regional operations.

'The Dubai Initiative has been developed to assist the industry to put in place the specific industry infrastructure required by our partners, to add value to your respective businesses. We are all here with a unified purpose - to convene, interact, debate and, as a result, to set new global standards in production, marketing and regulation across all areas of our business. I feel that we have succeeded to do all this over the last couple of days and are now in a position to consider the creation of a worldwide jewellery marketing body,' he added.

Mr. Abdullah also outlined how the enthusiasm of all concerned, from financial specialists to marketing experts in gold, diamonds and platinum, miners from South Africa to manufacturers from Italy and Japan as well as the group's UAE participants, showed impressive levels of interest in Dubai as an international trading and manufacturing hub.

Conference Organising Committee Chairman Andre Bisang said: 'We would like to thank all participants for supporting the 2nd Dubai City Of Gold Conference. The interaction has been invaluable and the conclusions that we have made as a group will form an integral part in the development strategy for the gold and jewellery business. Dubai is a truly extraordinary international hub and it is with the help of persons such as Tawhid Abdullah, a true leader and a man whose passion will drive our business ambitions forward, that we can introduce the unique benefits of Dubai to the attention of the world's gold and jewellery industry.'

The conference was organised by the Gold and Jewellery Group Dubai with the support of international, regional and local companies and organisations. This year the event was organised with the support of the Dubai Metals and Commodities Centre and in association with Omega Investment Research of South Africa. Emirates Airline were the official carrier for the event.

Key sponsors for the conference included AngloGold, Standard Bank, Credit Suisse, Diamond Trading Council (De Beers) and the World Gold Council. Support sponsors were American Express, Commerzbank International SA, National Bank of Fujairah, Fiera de Vicenza, National Bank of Dubai and Scotia Mocatta, Transguard and Sisma.