The World Jewellery Confederation Education Foundation’s (WJCEF) First Executive Course in Corporate Social Responsibility is expected to host representatives of leading jewellery companies and organizations from Europe, Asia, North America and Africa. The three day course will be held in Antwerp, on June 20, 2010, delivering lectures on principal models and strategies for Corporate Social Investment, their application in an industry dominated by smaller and medium-sized enterprises, the impact of CSR on supply chains, practical case studies, a special overview of Corporate Social Responsibility presented by experts from the CSR Certificate programme at the University of St. Michaels's College in the University of Toronto. %% The course will be hosted by HRD Antwerp and conducted by a group of world-renowned lecturers from the University of Geneva, the University of St. Michael's College in the University of Toronto, and MHC International.. The WJCEF believes its initiative would be an insight into how the jewellery and gemstone sectors can contribute towards the eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), adopted by the United Nations in 2000 and set to be achieved by 2015. "There is a common perception that fine jewellery is a non-essential product. It is a luxury item, but it also is a product upon which entire economies and millions of people depend for their daily living. WJCEF is meant to instill this understanding, and to enhance our role as a positive economic and social force. The jewellery sector should be considered a positive catalyst that empowers ordinary people in the developing world," said CIBJO President Gaetano Cavalieri. WJCEF was established by CIBJO in December 2008 to instill the principles of proactive Corporate Social Responsibility in the international jewellery sector. %% Jocelyn Fenard, the Chief of Partnerships and Resource Mobilization at the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) in Geneva, will attend the course as a special guest.