ICO Recognizes and Celebrates Women’s Contributions to the Coffee Sector on International Women’s Day 2024″
Dubia,March 8, 2024(2024): In commemoration of International Women’s Day 2024, the International Coffee Organization (ICO) proudly acknowledges and celebrates the invaluable contributions of women across the global coffee value chain. While progress has been made with an increasing number of women assuming leadership roles, the ICO emphasizes the ongoing journey towards empowerment and gender equality within the coffee sector.
As part of the commitment to fostering positive change, the Coffee Public-Private Task Force’s Technical Workstream 5 on Gender and Youth plays a pivotal role in shaping policies, operations, and societal standards to combat gender bias effectively. The ICO actively encourages the exploration of their dedicated tool designed to address underlying causes, rather than just symptoms, of gender-related issues such as poverty, vulnerability, and inequality. The message is clear – investing in women is investing in collective prosperity. #IWD2024
Embedding Gender Transformative Strategies within the ICO Coffee Public-Private Task Force
In a significant step towards fostering gender equality, the ICO, with the support of GIZ, collaborated closely with the Oxfam Gender Advisory team in 2021. The Oxfam team actively participated in ICO Task Force and Technical Workstream (TWS) meetings, offering valuable insights and advice from a gender perspective. The result of this collaboration is a proposal of recommendations aimed at embedding gender transformative strategies within the ICO Task Force. The full proposal can be accessed here. Additionally, a Gender Tracker tool has been developed, soon to be available to ICO Members and coffee stakeholders.
Understanding a Gender Transformative Approach
A gender transformative approach, as endorsed by the ICO, transcends surface-level solutions by delving into the root causes of gendered dimensions of poverty, vulnerability, and inequality. This approach necessitates a fundamental shift in the policies and practices of institutions, including communities, governments, and businesses, as well as challenging the social norms, attitudes, and practices that perpetuate discrimination.
The ICO encourages active engagement with the Gender Tracker tool as a resource to monitor and advance gender transformative initiatives within the coffee sector.
On International Women’s Day 2024, the ICO reaffirms its commitment to promoting inclusivity, equality, and empowerment for women in the global coffee industry.
