The International Coffee Organisation (ICO) was established in 1963 under the auspices of the United Nations, following the adoption of the first International Coffee Agreement in 1962. The ICO is the only intergovernmental organisation for coffee, bringing together exporting and importing countries. It currently accounts for 93% of world coffee production and 63% of world consumption.
The headquarters of the Organisation are located in London, UK.
Mandate
The mission of the Organisation is to strengthen the global coffee sector and promote its sustainable expansion in a market-based environment for the benefit of all stakeholders in the coffee chain.
The ICO provides a unique forum for dialogue between governments, the private sector and all coffee stakeholders to address the challenges of the sector through international cooperation.
The Organisation:
– collects and compiles independent official statistics on coffee production, trade and consumption;
– supports the development and financing of technical cooperation projects and public-private partnerships; promotes sustainability and coffee consumption;
– facilitates the coffee sector’s contribution to the achievement of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to increase the resilience of local communities and coffee farmers (especially small owners)
The current five-year Action Plan aims to provide a concrete contribution to the sustainable development of the coffee sector and to poverty reduction in developing countries. The Plan identifies three priority areas for its activities:
- to provide world-class data, analysis and information to the industry and policy makers;
- to provide a forum for dialogue between the public and private sectors;
- to facilitate the development of promotion projects and programmes through public-private partnerships.
Members
– Exporting members: Angola, Bolivia, Brazil, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ivory Coast, Cuba, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ecuador, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Gabon, Ghana, Honduras, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mexico, Nepal, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Philippines, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Togo, Venezuela, Vietnam, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe.
– Importing members: European Union, Japan, Norway, Russian Federation, Switzerland, Tunisia, United Kingdom.
Organisational Structure
The Council is the highest authority of the Organisation and is composed of representatives from each member government. It meets in March and September to discuss coffee issues, adopt strategic documents and examine recommendations from advisory bodies and committees.
Council sessions enable delegates to have high-level contacts with the main players in the world coffee industry. Representatives come from governments, Ministries, coffee organisations and embassies, flanked by industry substitute members and advisors.
The Council is assisted and supported by a number of advisory committees. These include the Administration and Budget Committee and the Joint Committee.