Council And Subsidiary Bodies

ICCO Council

The International Cocoa Council is the highest decision-making body of the ICCO and is composed of all the contracting parties to the International Cocoa Agreement, 2001. It holds two regular sessions per year, and special sessions as required. Council sessions are attended by delegations of all cocoa producing and cocoa consuming Member countries. Members of the Consultative Board on the World Cocoa Economy participate as observers, as do delegations from non-Member countries, cocoa sector associations and international organizations.

The main function of the Council is to determine the strategy of the Organization in addition to supervising its financial policies and reviewing and approving its proposed work programme and budget for each cocoa year. It is the body to which the different committees and working groups report.

The officers of the International Cocoa Council for the 2007/2008 cocoa year are:)

• Chairman: Ms. Irina Medvedeva (Russian Federation)
• 1st Vice-Chairman: Mr. Francis Vannerom (Belgium/Luxembourg)
• 2nd Vice-Chairman: Mrs. Abdul Rahmin (Malaysia)

Mr. St.-Cyr Djikalou (Côte d'Ivoire) is the spokesman for producing countries, while Mr. Hagen Streichert (Germany) is the spokesman for consuming countries.

The Executive Committee mainly deals with financial and operational matters. Its Members are elected annually by the Council, representing a balanced proportion of cocoa producing and cocoa consuming Member countries. The Committee works under the general direction of the Council. The Committee regularly examines the world cocoa market situation, reviews progress reports on projects and new project proposals. The Executive Committee oversees the finances and administration of the Organization.

The officers of the Executive Committee for the 2007/2008 cocoa year are:

• Chairman: Dr. Victor Iyama (Nigeria)
• Vice-Chairman: Mr. Isaac Osei (Ghana)

One of most important improvements in the International Cocoa Agreement, 2001 was the establishment of the Consultative Board on the World Cocoa Economy consisting exclusively of private sector representatives.

The Council officially inaugurated the Consultative Board on the World Cocoa Economy in December 2003. Since its first meeting in March 2004, the Board has implemented part of its ambitious work programme covering cocoa consumption, cocoa bean processing into intermediate cocoa products, cocoa bean marketing, post-harvest treatment of cocoa beans and training, and cocoa farm establishment and cultivation.

The officers of the Consultative Board on the World Cocoa Economy are:

• Chairman: Mr. Tony Lass (BCCCA)
• Vice-Chairman: Mr. Idelfonso Medina (Dominican Republic)

Another important development of the new Agreement was the creation of the Market Committee. The main objective of the Committee is to achieve balanced growth in the production and consumption of cocoa to secure a sustainable equilibrium between supply and demand and to achieve and maintain remunerative prices for cocoa farmers.

The officers of the Market Committee are:

• Chairman: Mr. Tano Kassi Kadio (Côte d'Ivoire)
• Vice-Chairman: Dr. Sharief Mohamed (The Netherlands)

The International Cocoa Agreement, 2001 also established a Promotion Committee to stimulate the consumption of chocolate and cocoa-based products by co-ordinating and executing appropriate activities. The Committee has established a Promotion Fund and has initiated work to organize an international conference on the health and nutrition aspects of cocoa and chocolate.

The officers of the Promotion Committee are:

• Chairman: Mr. Steve Wateridge (United Kingdom)
• Vice Chairman: Mr. Hayford Fiamor (Ghana)

The Expert Working Group on Stocks was created in 1989 to support the ICCO secretariat in considering the problems associated with assessing the level of world cocoa bean stocks. It is composed of representatives and analysts from cocoa producing countries, industry and trade associations, cocoa-processors and chocolate manufacturers. The Group conducts an annual survey on warehouse stocks of cocoa beans and establishes an assessment of the level of world cocoa bean stocks. It also considers various other issues to improve the reliability of the assessment of the world level of cocoa stocks, such as the harmonization of statistics on production, grindings and stocks.

The Chairman of the Expert Working Group on Stocks is Mr. Philip Sigley (The Federation of Cocoa Commerce Ltd).

The Expert Working Group on Quality was established in 1989 to consider issues pertaining to cocoa quality. Among other issues, the Group has considered the subject of ochratoxins in food products, including cocoa; the issue of Poly Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAH); the progress made in the development and implementation of the Total Quality Project; and the implementation of the Resolution on International Standards for Food Grade Jute Bags used for exporting cocoa beans.

The Chairman of the Expert Working Group on Quality is Mr. Tom Harrison.

Secretariat Management

• Executive Director: Dr. Jan Vingerhoets
• Director of the Economics and Statistics Division:
  Dr. Jean-Marc Anga
• Director of the Administration & Finance Division:
  Mrs. Kate Schoen