ICO Annual Review 2022/23: Sustainable Development and Overcoming Challenges through Partnerships

The International Coffee Organization (ICO) has released its Annual Review for the coffee year 2022/23, highlighting the pivotal role of stronger partnerships and innovative solutions in addressing regulatory and market challenges. The review, titled “Advancing Sustainability and Overcoming Challenges through Strong Partnerships,” provides an in-depth look at the organization’s efforts and achievements in fostering a more sustainable and resilient global coffee sector.

Key Insights from the Review:

1. Strengthening the Global Coffee Value Chain: The ICO continues to prioritize the enhancement of the coffee global value chain (C-GVC), focusing on sustainability and fairness. This involves addressing income disparities, gender inequalities, and promoting intergenerational well-being. The International Coffee Agreement (ICA) 2022 underpins these efforts, guiding the organization’s mission to transform the coffee sector into a model of sustainability.

2. Addressing Significant Challenges: The coffee year 2022/23 presented numerous challenges, including price volatility, exchange rate fluctuations, new regulatory frameworks, socio-political instability, and climate change. Despite these hurdles, the ICO successfully encouraged more countries to sign the ICA 2022, strengthened stakeholder engagement, and attracted funding and partnerships to support its initiatives.

3. Major Events and Collaborations:

• The 5th World Coffee Conference (WCC) in Bengaluru, India, was a highlight, attracting over 2,000 delegates and more than 17,000 business visitors. The event facilitated discussions on sustainability, technology, and market trends.
• The Coffee Public-Private Task Force (CPPTF) played a crucial role in fostering collaboration among various stakeholders. Key initiatives included promoting the circular coffee economy, improving access to finance, and addressing regulatory changes such as the European Union’s deforestation-free products regulation (EUDR) and corporate sustainability due diligence (CS3D).

4. Enhancing Market Transparency: The ICO’s statistical data collection and dissemination efforts provided valuable insights into market dynamics. For the coffee year 2022/23, global coffee consumption decreased by 2.0% to 173.1 million bags, while world coffee production increased slightly by 0.1% to 168.2 million bags.

5. Advocacy and Future Directions: The ICO remains dedicated to advocating for the coffee sector at international forums, promoting coffee diplomacy, and mobilizing resources to support sustainable growth. The organization plans to focus on closing living income gaps, advancing circular economy initiatives, and implementing the ICA 2022.

Conclusions and Next Steps: The ICO’s Annual Review for 2022/23 underscores the organization’s commitment to overcoming challenges through stronger partnerships and innovative solutions. By fostering collaboration, enhancing market transparency, and advocating for sustainability, the ICO aims to ensure a resilient and prosperous future for the global coffee sector.

For a comprehensive understanding of the ICO’s activities and achievements, the full Annual Review can be accessed here.