The International Coffee Organisation (ICO) Coffee Public-Private Task Force held the ‘Towards Partnerships for Sustainability/Targets & Actions for Specialty’ event at World of Coffee in Milan, Italy.
The ICO says coffee production is one of the most important agricultural activities for the world economy, yet coffee sector stakeholders, particularly producing countries, face multiple environmental, economic, and social challenges.
Through its Coffee Public-Private Task Force, the ICO promotes the co-responsibility of ICO importing and exporting member countries, the private sector, development partners and all coffee stakeholders to address these challenges and guarantee the long-term viability of the sector.
“Shared challenges require joint solutions. To adapt to significant and constant changes in the global coffee sector and fit within the specialty coffee market and segment, the ICO Task Force serves as a unique model in the multilateral space as it plays an active part for involving all stakeholders in the overall sector transformation,” says ICO Executive Director Vanúsia Nogueira.
“Only together, partnering within the ICO Task Force, will we be able to support multiple sector areas, such as the capacity to adapt to climate change, income diversification to reduce livelihood vulnerability, and the empowerment of women, young farmers and entrepreneurs”.
According to the ICO, the ICO Task Force plans to implement solutions such as the creation and implementation of collaborative public-private partnerships to close the living income gap.
It also plans to build resilient coffee landscapes interventions that ensure sustainably produced coffee and enhanced market transparency, as well as to address the impact of new regulations on the production, trade, processing, and consumption of coffee.
All participants agreed to put the ICO Task Force ideas into practice and stressed the need for increased involvement of consumers and the retail market.
For more information, visit the International Coffee Organisation website.