The European Union (on 15 May) and Côte d’Ivoire (on 16 May) ratified the International Cocoa Agreement 2010, the United Nations Treaty Office confirmed.
The notifications mean that the ICCO’s largest exporting member and its largest importing member both have ratified the Agreement, which is due to come into force in October 2012.
14 May 2012—At a ceremony held in Abidjan on 9 May, the Prime Minister of Côte d’Ivoire, H.E. Mr Jeannot Ahoussou-Kouadio (pictured right), officially launched the ICCO’s World Cocoa Conference, due to take place in the city in November.
The 250 guests at the launch ceremony–from the Ivorian government, the Diplomatic service, the cocoa industry, civil society and the press–also heard expressions of support by the Governor of the Abidjan District and the Minister of Agriculture, and presentations by Mr Rafael Jaén Tapiola, the Chairman of the International Cocoa Council and from ICCO Executive Director Dr Jean-Marc Anga.
The Prime Minister said that his Government considered it “an honour and a privilege to host this Conference,” which is scheduled for 19-23 November at the city’s Hotel Ivoire. The event will be the first global cocoa forum to bring together all the significant stakeholders in the cocoa value chain to discuss and take action on the most serious issues affecting the trade and industry. “The Government will spare no effort to make sure that this Conference will be held under the best conditions and will be a resounding success,” the Prime Minister added, and invited all stakeholders to attend the meetings in November.
In the presence as well of the Ivorian Ministers of Labour, Industry and Trade, Mr Jaén explained that, beyond leading to a better understanding of the viewpoints of cocoa stakeholders, the Conference would produce an action plan to take the industry forward in a sustainable way, and would demonstrate clear concrete and measurable actions to address the problems of cocoa.
Dr Anga’s presentation pointed out a number of key structural problems in the cocoa value chain, which would need to be addressed at the Conference in order for the sustainable development of the industry to proceed, and he identified the serious issues that had prompted the ICCO to organize the WCC in November. He concluded that he expected key relevant parties to sign a Commitment of Stakeholders at the closing ceremony of the Conference.
Covered by the international and regional press, the launch ceremony was the basis of a major story on Ivorian national television, as well as reports in the leading newspapers in Abidjan and elsewhere in West Africa.
Ivorian President H.E. Dr Alassane Ouattara will officially open the World Cocoa Conference in the presence of his peers in the region, and it is expected to be attended by government, industry and civil society representatives concerned with cocoa from all over the world. There are more details of the Conference on the WCC website www.worldcocoaconference.org.
Cameroon on 26 March 2012 signed the International Cocoa Agreement 2010, the United Nations Treaty Section has confirmed.
Click here to see the official notification of signature to the Agreement from the United Nations.
2 April 2012–The International Cocoa Council, meeting in Guayaquil, Ecuador in the last week of March, backed the upcoming World Cocoa Conference, authorized a London workshop on EU legislation on cadmium in cocoa, and made decisions on the issues of headquarters relocation and the selection of a new Executive Director, among several other important matters.
The Council backed plans for the World Cocoa Conference, set for 19-23 November 2012 in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, which is to be launched at an official gathering there on 10 May. The high-level forum, to be hosted by the Ivorian government and opened by President Ouattara, will bring together representatives of all parts of the cocoa value chain to discuss strategies for the future of the trade and industry.
The Council also decided to defer the decision on the relocation of the Headquarters of the Organization to Abidjan until its September 2015 meeting. The decision then would be based on the UN security index level, to be assessed annually across the whole of Côte d’Ivoire.
As a result of this decision, as the lease on the current London Headquarters premises is due to expire in mid-2013, the Executive Director a.i. was instructed to identify urgently temporary offices for the Secretariat in London, with a view to achieving savings for the Organization.
The Council took the decision that the election of a new Executive Director should be postponed until a final decision on relocation has been taken in 2015, and to ask the Executive Director a.i., Dr Jean-Marc Anga, to serve as Executive Director from October 2012 until the election of a new Executive Director. The postponement would be without prejudice to the current member nation-endorsed applicants for the position, the Council said, and, if the Council decides to relocate the Headquarters to Abidjan, the recruitment process would be re-opened for new applications.
Responding to the concerns of several producing countries regarding stringent EU legislation on cadmium content in cocoa, the Council authorized the Secretariat to hold a Workshop in London in May to address the issue. There was also general agreement that there was a need to hold seminars in producing countries on issues of importance to members.
The Council also decided to launch a working group on Food Safety, Cocoa Productivity and Quality.
The consuming nation members of the Council elected Rüdiger Ohst of Germany to serve as their spokesman, following the resignation of Ewald Wermuth of the Netherlands, who has now left his London post.
A proposal for a project aimed at improving the marketing competitiveness for Fine or Flavour cocoa was approved for submission to the Common Fund for Commodities.
The Organization’s budget for 2012/13 was capped at a 5% increase, and options for adhering to this limit are to be presented to the Council’s next meeting in London in September.
The well-attended Guayaquil meeting was kindly hosted by the Government of Ecuador, and delegates were welcomed at an official opening in the city’s Oro Verde Hotel by the country’s Vice President Lenin Moreno. The week also saw meetings of the ICCO’s subsidiary bodies the Executive Board and the Consultative Board on the World Cocoa Economy, and a number of social functions.
Presentations delivered at Guayaquil and available for download:
Afreximbank: Transforming Africas Cocoa Economy CABI and Cocoa Café-Cacao Reforme Côte d'Ivoire Forum Sustainable Cocoa Improving the Market Competitiveness of Fine or Flavour Cocoa Origins Jack Steijn: Sustainable and Traceable Cocoa The Crossland Group--Investing in PartnershipDominican Republic on 9 March 2012 signed the International Cocoa Agreement 2010, the United Nations Treaty Section has confirmed.
Click here to see the official notification of signature to the Agreement from the United Nations.
29 February 2012–The International Cocoa Organization today released its first forecasts for the 2011/2012 cocoa year and revised estimates of world production, grindings and stocks of cocoa beans for 2010/2011, as summarized below. The data published in Issue No. 1 – Volume XXXVIII – Cocoa year 2011/2012 of the Quarterly Bulletin of Cocoa Statistics, reflect the most recent information available to the Secretariat as at the middle of February 2012.
| Cocoa year (Oct-Sep) |
2010/2011 | 2011/2012 | Year-on-year change | ||
| Previous estimates a/ | Revised estimates | Forecasts | |||
| (thousand tonnes) | (Per cent) | ||||
| World production | 4 250 | 4 304 | 3 961 | – 343 | – 8.0% |
| World grindings | 3 867 | 3 914 | 3 992 | + 78 | + 2.0% |
| Surplus/deficit b/ | + 341 | + 347 | – 71 | ||
| End-of-season stocks | 1 834 | 1 777 | 1 706 | – 71 | – 4.0% |
| Stocks/Grindings ratio | 47.4% | 45.4% | 42.7% | ||
Notes:
a/ Forecasts published in Quarterly Bulletin of Cocoa Statistics, Vol. XXXVII – No. 4 – Cocoa year 2010/2011
b/ Surplus/deficit: net world crop (gross crop adjusted for loss in weight) minus grindings
Totals and differences may differ due to rounding.
This issue of the Bulletin contains the Secretariat’s first forecasts for the 2011/2012 cocoa year as well as data for the past four years of production and grindings of cocoa beans, detailed by country. The main features of the global cocoa market are illustrated in colour charts. In addition, the Bulletin includes comments on crop and demand prospects in the leading countries for the current season, and a review of price developments on international markets for cocoa beans during the October-December quarter of 2011.
Statistical information on trade in cocoa beans, cocoa products and chocolate, by country and by region, published in this edition, covers annual data from 2007/2008 to 2009/2010 and quarterly statistics for the period October-December 2009 to April-June 2011. Details of origin of imports and destination of exports for leading cocoa importing countries are also provided. Historical statistics on cocoa trade and consumption, by country and by region, for the period 2001/2002 to 2009/2010 are presented for reference.
Copies of the Quarterly Bulletin of Cocoa Statistics, including Microsoft Excel files and Adobe PDF format can be ordered from the website or from the ICCO Secretariat at the address below:
International Cocoa Organization
Commonwealth House
1-19 New Oxford Street
London WC1A 1NU
Tel: +44 (0)20 7400 5050
Fax: +44 (0)20 7421 5500
E-mail: registry@icco.org or info@icco.org
The International Cocoa Council and subsidiary bodies, including the Consultative Board on the World Cocoa Economy, will meet in Guayaquil, Ecuador, 26 – 30 March 2012.
Provisional Timetable of Meetings, 26-30 March 2012, Guayaquil, Ecuador
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ED(MEM) 930-1/Rev.1
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International Cocoa Council: Draft Agenda
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ICC-85-1/Rev.1
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Executive Committee: Draft Agenda
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EX-145-1/Rev.1
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Consultative Board on the World Cocoa Economy: Draft Agenda
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CB-25-1/Rev.1
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Gabon on 18 January 2012 signed the International Cocoa Agreement 2010, the United Nations Treaty Section has confirmed.
Click here to see the official notification of signature to the Agreement from the United Nations.
London, 5 December 2011–The ICCO is organizing the first high-level World Cocoa Conference, to take place in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, the world’s largest cocoa producing country.
Certain to be of interest to all stakeholders in the global cocoa value chain, the event will address the most important issues facing cocoa in the second decade of the 21st century.
To be hosted by the Government of Côte d’Ivoire, the World Cocoa Conference will be opened officially by His Excellency Dr. Alassane Ouattara, President of the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire, in the presence of his peers, heads of state from cocoa producing countries in the region and beyond. In addition, the Conference will involve chief executives and senior officials from the world’s major cocoa and chocolate companies and will feature presentations from speakers representing the highest expertise in cocoa production, processing, trade, banking, insurance, shipping and many other fields in the world’s cocoa chain.
The Conference Presentations will address topical issues such as sustainable supply and demand, quality and safety, remunerative prices, certification, child labour, price volatility and speculation.
The World Cocoa Conference will also incorporate a major Trade Exhibition, involving participation from worldwide suppliers to the cocoa production and processing industries, including equipment manufacturers, banking, insurance, shipping and trading companies, and those concerns offering both raw cocoa and finished products, as well as a host of ancillary services.
A dedicated Partner Programme will allow accompanying guests to see the highlights of Côte d’Ivoire’s economic capital, Abidjan, and delegates will also be offered the chance to take part in Field Trips and Site Visits linked to the country’s cocoa industry.
Finally, the World Cocoa Conference will conclude with a Gala Evening, highlighted by local and regional musical and other cultural attractions, which will see all sectors of the cocoa trade and industry mix in the ultimate international networking opportunity.
The dates chosen for the World Cocoa Conference are the 19th to the 23rd November 2012, and the venue will be the five-star Hotel Ivoire InterContinental in Abidjan.
More details of the Conference programme, the Exhibition, the Social programme and Sponsorship opportunities will be available shortly on the ICCO website.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo on 4 November 2011 signed the International Cocoa Agreement 2010, the United Nations Treaty Section has confirmed.
Click here to see the official notification of signature to the Agreement from the United Nations.
