The International Olive Oil Council (IOC), created in 1959 in Madrid, under the patronage of the United Nations, is the only global intergovernmental organization in the olive oil and table olive sector.
The current Agreement is that of 1986, amended in 1993 and extended several times.
It is based in Madrid, where it was created in 1959, and is made up of 17 members, including the European Union, which represents all its members producing table olives and olive oil.
Members
The list of IOC’s Member States includes the major producers and exporters of olive oil and table olives: Albania, Algeria, Argentina, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Egypt, the European Union, Georgia, Iran, Israel, Jordan, the Lebanon, Libya, Montenegro, Morocco, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, Turkey, Uruguay, Uzbekistan. Most of these are Mediterranean countries accounting for 98 percent of the world’s olive oil production.
Mandate
The IOC is committed to promoting the integrated and sustainable development of global olive growing. A commitment it seeks to turn into concrete progress for the benefit of Member States and above all for those whose livelihood depends on olive trees. The IOC’s mission is therefore to promote sustainable and responsible olive growing through a global discussion on the lines of action to face current and future challenges.
In view of achieving its goals, the IOC promotes international technical cooperation through research and development projects, training activities and technology transfers. It promotes the growth of international trade in olive oil and table olives; establishes and updates trade standards; endeavours to improve quality and for greater integration of the environmental dimension in the sector’s activities; promotes the global consumption of olive oil and table olives through innovative campaigns and specific programs; publishes statistics and information on the world market of that product; periodically brings together government representatives, who reflect on the sector’s problems and priorities for action; finally, it collaborates closely with the private sector.
In particular, the IOC:
– fosters international technical cooperation;
– promotes the growth of international trade in olive oil and table olives, encouraging the improvement of product quality and greater integration of the environmental dimension in the sector’s activities;
– promotes global consumption of olive oil and table olives through innovative campaigns and specific programmes;
– publishes clear and timely statistics and information on the world market of olive and table olives;
– periodically brings together government representatives to discuss the problems of the sector and priorities for action;
– collaborates closely with the private sector.
Organisational structure
The IOC has a structure hinged around three fundamental components: the Council of Members and its Committees, the President of the organization and the executive Secretariat.
The Council of Member States elects a President – whose term of office is one year- from among the countries’ delegates.
The Council relies on the support of a variable number of Committees and subcommittees, whose role is essentially consultative. There are currently five: the Committee on Administrative and Financial Affairs, the Committee on Chemistry and Standardization, the Committee on Technology and the Environment, the Committee on Economy and Promotion and the Advisory Committee on olive oil and table olives. Except for the latter, one delegate from each Member State participates in the other Committees.
Finding other sources of funding also helps to strengthen technical cooperation activities. For this reason, the Council has established close relations with the Common Fund for Commodities and was one of the first ICBs to submit and finance a development project in the framework of the operations of the Second Account of the said Fund.