The ICAC is an association of governments made up of cotton producing and consuming countries. The Committee, established in Washington in 1939, carries out its mission by ensuring the transparency of the world cotton market by providing technical information. The main purpose concerns the collection and publication of statistics on production, consumption, trade and prices, as well as the dissemination of information relating to the economy of the sector.
The ICAC also acts as a forum for discussion on problems inherent to the international market of the sector. In fact, every year a plenary meeting is held in which Member States participate.
Members
The list of ICAC’s Member States includes Argentina, Australia, Bangladesh, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Chad, Ivory Coast, Egypt, European Union, India, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Mali, Mozambique, Pakistan, Russia, South Africa, Switzerland , Taiwan, Tanzania, Togo, Turkey, Uganda, United States, Uzbekistan, Zimbabwe.
The EU, represented by the European Commission, has been a full member of the Committee since 2017 by virtue of Council Decision (EU) 2017/8762.
Organisational structure
The ICAC is composed of an all-member Advisory Committee which meets at least once a year in plenary session and a Standing Committee composed of some members (including the EU) which represents the Advisory Committee between plenary meetings. The Secretariat, which operates through the Executive Director, reports to the Standing Committee. The Executive Director is a full-time employee.