Amsterdam, 13 June 2014—The second edition of the World Cocoa Conference, organized by the International Cocoa Organization and hosted by the Government of the Netherlands, concluded today with the adoption of the Amsterdam Cocoa Declaration, highlighting the progress made in tackling the cocoa industry’s most serious problems.
The Conference, which ran throughout the week at the city’s RAI Exhibition and Congress Centre, attracted over 1,400 cocoa stakeholders from 55 countries and from all parts of the sector, including farmers, traders, processors, chocolate makers and civil society groups. An Exhibition featured 50 stands representing various cocoa-related organizations and companies, and a series of interactive sessions organized by various Dutch-based stakeholders broadened the participation even further.
Among the highlights of the main sessions of the Conference, which featured 100 speakers and panellists from all parts of the globe, were the addresses by Dutch Agriculture Minister, Her Excellency Ms. Sharon Dijksma (pictured top), His Excellency Mr. Jean Louis Billon, Minister of Trade of Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana’s Ambassador to the Netherlands Dr. Joe Tony Aidoo and, representing his country’s Minister of Agriculture, Livestock, Aquaculture and Fisheries, His Excellency Mr. Javier Ponce Cevallos, was Ecuador’s Vice Minister, His Excellency Mr. Luis Valverde.
Other Conference highlights included a keynote presentation from ICCO Executive Director Dr. Jean-Marc Anga (above, opening the Exhibition with the Mr. Roald Lapperre of the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs) suggesting a new method of increasing cocoa farmer incomes; a lively panel session moderated by CNN’s Mr. Richard Quest (right, with speaker Dr. Martin Kra Nguettia Kouakou) looking at the progress in reducing the worst forms of child labour; the presentation of the new World Cocoa Foundation platform CocoaAction by senior representatives of the world’s largest processors and chocolate manufacturers; and an ‘Inspiration Lounge’ with activities including chocolate painting, chocolate and wine tastings, and a look at the art of the chocolatier.
At the Conference Dinner held at the city’s 17th Century Maritime Museum (below), special awards were presented to Ghana’s best cocoa farmer, as a representative of the entire cocoa producing community; to Ecuador in recognition of that country’s leadership in bringing about a consensual outcome to the issue of the EU Directive on cadmium levels in cocoa, and to Côte d’Ivoire to demonstrate the success that the world’s largest producer had shown in developing a national cocoa plans to further the development goals for the country’s cocoa sector, as recommended by the Global Cocoa Agenda.
The Amsterdam Cocoa Declaration, agreed by the participants at the Conference, looks at the progress made worldwide in maintaining the forward progression toward a fully sustainable cocoa sector and identifies priority areas and actions to be implemented which would allow all stakeholders in the cocoa value chain to equitably share in its benefits.
PROGRAMME OF THE WORLD COCOA CONFERENCE AMSTERDAM 2014
9 – 13 June 2014, Amsterdam RAI Convention Centre, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
To download available presentations, click on the highlighted presenter names below
MONDAY 9 June 2014
13:00 Registration (Onyx Lounge) open
14:00 Exhibition (Hall 3) open
16.30 - 18.00 Exhibition (Hall 3): Official Inauguration of the Exhibition and Reception
18.00 Exhibition and Registration Desk closes
TUESDAY 10 June 2014
PLENARY SESSIONS (AUDITORIUM)
8:00 Registration (Onyx Lounge) open
09:30 Official Opening Ceremony and Welcome Speeches
11:00 Keynote Presentation: The Farmer in the cocoa value chain: How to improve his income?
Dr. Jean-Marc Anga, Executive Director, ICCO (pictured)
12:00 Lunch (Exhibition, Hall 3)
(Interactive Session: Roadmap to ‘Nutrition Secure’ Cocoa Supply Chains--Room G104)
(Interactive Session: The Cocoa Fertilizer Initiative--Room G105)
PLENARY SESSIONS (AUDITORIUM)
From Abidjan to Amsterdam: Progress on the Implementation of the Global Cocoa Agenda
14:00 Panel 1 - Implementation of the Global Cocoa Agenda: Progress by Countries on their National Cocoa Strategies
Moderator: Dr. Joost Oorthuizen, Executive Director, IDH, The Sustainable Trade Initiative
Presentations by Cocoa Exporting Countries:
16:00 Cocoa Break
16:30 Panel 2 - Implementation of the Global Cocoa Agenda: Progress by Countries on their National Cocoa Strategies (Continued)
Moderator: Mr. Philip M. Sigley, Chief Executive, Federation of Cocoa Commerce
Presentations by Cocoa Importing Countries:
17:30 End of day’s session
WEDNESDAY 11 June 2014
PLENARY SESSIONS (AUDITORIUM)
09:00 Panel 3 - Implementation of the Global Cocoa Agenda: The Industry’s Progress, Challenges and Opportunities (Panel Discussion)
Moderator: Mrs. Massandjé Touré-Litsé, Director General, Conseil Café Cacao, Côte d’Ivoire
Presentation: CocoaAction: Mr. Bill Guyton, President, World Cocoa Foundation (pictured)
Panellists:
11:00 Cocoa Break
11:30 Panel 4 - Value distribution from the farm to the chocolate bar (Panel Discussion)
Moderator: Mr. Antonie Fountain, Coordinator, VOICE Network
Panellists:
12:30 Lunch (Exhibition, Hall 3)
14:00 Panel 5 - Progress on global efforts to eradicate the worst forms of child labour in the cocoa sector (Panel Discussion)
Moderator: Mr. Richard Quest, Broadcaster and Journalist, Quest for Business, CNN
Keynote Presentation: Dr. Martin Kra Nguettia Kouakou, Director of Fight against Child
Labour at the Ministry of State, Ministry of Employment, Social Affairs and Vocational
Training and Executive Secretary of the Interministerial Committee for the Fight against child
trafficking, exploitation and child labour in Côte d'Ivoire.
Panellists:
15:00 Panel 6 - Beyond Certification: Improving farmer livelihoods by mainstreaming sustainable cocoa (Panel Discussion)
Moderator: Dr. Jean-Marc Anga, Executive Director, ICCO
Introduction by Mr. Christopher Wunderlich, Coordinator, United Nations Forum on
Sustainability Standards
Panellists:
16:00 Cocoa Break
16:30 Panel 7 - Empowering Cocoa Producers by Strengthening Farmer-Based Organizations (Panel Discussion)
Moderator: Mr. Bertus Wennink, Senior Advisor, Royal Tropical Institute
Keynote Presentation by Mr. Nico Roozen, Executive Director, Solidaridad Network (pictured)
Panellists:
17:30 End of day’s session
CONFERENCE DINNER
Het Scheepvaartmuseum – The National Maritime Museum 19:30
THURSDAY 12 June 2014
BREAKOUT SESSIONS (AUDITORIUM / EMERALD ROOM / ROOMS G102‐G103)
Track 1 Sustainable Production: Transforming Cocoa Farming into a Viable Economic Activity (Auditorium)
The cocoa and chocolate industry has raised concerns that a lack of supply threatens the future of the sector, as productivity has not improved over the years and cocoa farming is not seen as an attractive proposition for the young generation. This session will offer a platform to discuss progress and propose innovative ideas to address this threat, focusing on making the business more financially appealing to farmers.
Moderator: Dr. Martin Gilmour (Research Director, Cocoa Sustainability, Mars Global Chocolate),
Chairperson of the Working Group on Sustainable Production (pictured)
08.30 Moderator’s Introduction: Measuring Progress on the Implementation of Global Cocoa Agenda
09:00 Panel 8 - Improving cocoa productivity and quality through an integrated system
Presentation by Mr. Jonas Mva Mva, Cocoa Program Manager, IDH The Sustainable Trade
Initiative
Panellists:
10:30 Cocoa Break
11:00 Panel 9 - Attracting a new generation of cocoa farmers and addressing gender issues
Presentation by Mr. Omer Maledy, Executive Secretary, CICC, Cameroon (pictured)
Panellists:
12:00 Panel 10 - Protecting the diversity of cocoa and the prospects for fine/flavour cocoa
Presentation by Ms. Ann Tutwiler, Director General, Bioversity International (pictured)
Panellists:
13:00 Lunch (Exhibition, Hall 3)
Track 2 Sustainable Industry Chain: Factors Affecting Farmers’ Incomes (Emerald Room)
Stakeholders involved in the supply side have been raising the alarm that they do not earn a large enough share of the value of the sector and that this threatens its sustainability, with farmers and their governments now turning to other crops. This session will bring together the various parties involved in the cocoa value chain to review major market constraints and discuss opportunities to create more value at origin.
Moderator: Mr. Michiel Hendriksz (Director of Sustainability, ADM Cocoa), Vice-Chairperson
of the Working Group on Sustainable Industry Chain
08.30 Moderator’s Introduction: Measuring Progress on the Implementation of Global Cocoa Agenda
09:00 Panel 11 - Improving market efficiency and transparency
Presentation by Mr. Samuel K. Gayi, Head, Special Unit on Commodities, UNCTAD (pictured)
Presentation by Dr. Christopher Gilbert, Professor of Econometrics, University of Trento (pictured)
Panellists:
10:30 Cocoa Break
11:00 Panel 12 - Adding Value to Cocoa at origin
Presentation by Mr. Edward George, Soft Commodities Specialist, Ecobank
Panellists:
12:00 Panel 13 - Financing the Cocoa Sector
Presentation by Mr. Kofi Adomakoh, Head of Project Finance and Export Development,
Afreximbank
Panellists:
13:00 Lunch (Exhibition, Hall 3)
(Interactive Session: Value Distribution and Living Income—Emerald Room)
Track 3 Sustainable Consumption: Trends and Actions in Response (Rooms G102-G103)
Demand growth from mature markets is back, but is characterized by more stringent food safety
constraints. Appetite for chocolate products in emerging markets is expanding, and origin countries are also looking at opportunities to develop their own local markets. This session will discuss these trends and how they affect the long term supply and demand equilibrium of the cocoa sector.
Moderator: Dr. Torben Erbrath, (Managing Director, BDSI, Association of the German
Confectionery Industry), Chairperson of the Working Group on Sustainable Consumption
08.30 Moderator’s Introduction: Measuring Progress on the Implementation of Global Cocoa Agenda
09:00 Panel 14 - Managing the supply deficit
Presentation by Mr. Laurent Pipitone, Director of the Economics and Statistics Division, ICCO
Panellists:
10:30 Cocoa Break
11:00 Panel 15 - Promoting cocoa consumption in emerging markets and origin countries
Presentation by Mr. Shi Yuping, Chairman, Wuxi Huadong Cocoa Food Co, China (pictured)
Panellists:
12:00 Panel 16 - Food safety in the cocoa sector: how best to help producers comply and influence legislation?
Presentation by Ms. Isabelle Adam, General Secretary, European Cocoa Association (ECA) (pictured)
Panellists:
13:00 Lunch (Exhibition, Hall 3)
PLENARY SESSIONS (AUDITORIUM)
Strategic Management: Working together towards a sustainable cocoa economy
This session will bring together key parties involved in the preparation of the Conference to discuss the outcome of the various sessions of the event and to agree on how they can better cooperate on specific issues.
Moderator: Dr. Jean-Marc Anga (Executive Director, ICCO) Chairperson of the Working Group on
Strategic Management
14.30 Moderator’s Introduction: Measuring Progress on the Implementation of Global Cocoa Agenda
Panel Discussions:
Panellists:
16:30 Cocoa Break and End of day’s session
FRIDAY 13 June 2014
PLENARY SESSION (AUDITORIUM)
Conclusion of the Conference and Closing Ceremony
10:30 Presentation by Mr. Achille Bassilekin, Assistant Secretary General, Sustainable Economic Development and Trade Department, African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States (ACP) (pictured)
11:00 Adoption of Recommendations – Amsterdam Cocoa Declaration
11:30 Closing remarks
12:30 Press Conference