LONDON, UK – The 130th Session of the International Coffee Council took place online on 9-10 September 2021, directly after meetings of other ICO bodies and the 3rd CEO & Global Leaders Forum (CGLF), which were held from 1 to 8 September.
The International Coffee Council brought together over 40 Members representing exporting and importing countries, including the member states of the European Union, under the chairmanship of Mr John Muldowney, (EU-Ireland), supported by the Vice-Chair Ambassador Iván Romero-MartÃnez (Honduras), to consider the work programme of the Organization and budget for coffee year 2021/22 and to focus on significant strides made in the revision of the 2007 International Coffee Agreement (ICA).
The current 2007 Agreement is expected to be renewed, as is standard practice, in order to provide the necessary time to enable ICO Members to agree on and ratify a new ICA.
The new Agreement will include a stronger emphasis on partnerships with the private sector and civil society, as well as development and financial institutions, with the objective of striving towards the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Members also reviewed the candidates for the post of Executive Director of the ICO, who will be taking office on 1 May 2022.
Other decisions were taken are on the recommendations of the Coffee Public-Private Task Force (CPPTF), which has agreed on new commitments of the coffee industry and governments regarding market transparency, sustainable production and responsible sourcing, and discussed ways to address the current volatility in coffee prices due to adverse climate conditions in major producing countries, risin
The 3rd CEO & Global Leaders Forum (CGLF), which is part of the ICO-led structured sector-wide dialogue, was held in a closed session on 8 September. This high-level event brings together top executives of the coffee value chain, producers, traders, roasters, retailers, and high-level decision-makers of the public sector, together with development partners and civil society.
Together these stakeholders considered the outcomes of the work of the CPPTF and took steps towards measurable commitments for the sustainable future of coffee growers and of the whole coffee sector in line with the SDGs.
Addressing specifically the issue of coffee price volatility, the CGLF was inspired by a keynote speech presented by Professor Jeffrey Sachs, Director of the Center for Sustainable Development at Columbia University and President of the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network, with interventions by the minister of Agriculture of Brazil, the National Federation of Coffee Growers of Colombia, Starbucks, and Volcafe, and by an intense interchange on how to collectively address current issues and the sustainable future of coffee.
