Directory of Economic, Commodity and Development Organizations - table of contents

INTERNATIONAL COCOA ORGANIZATION (ICCO)

Organisation internationale du cacao
Organización International del Cacao 


        
HEADQUARTERS

        

22 Berners Street                                         Telephone:   [44](20)7637-3211
London W1P 3DB                                            Facsimile:   [44](20)7631-0114
United Kingdom                                            Internet:    www.icco.org


          Officer-in-Charge:          ...      Jan VINGERHOETS



        
LANGUAGES: English, French, Russian, Spanish

        
ESTABLISHMENT AND FUNCTIONS

        
The International Cocoa Organization (ICCO) was
        established to administer the provisions of the
        International Cocoa Agreement, 1972, and its successor
        Agreements of 1975, 1980, 1986, and 1993. 

        
The main objectives of the successive Agreements
        have been to ensure the production of adequate supplies
        of cocoa at prices remunerative to producers and fair to
        consumers, to prevent excessive price fluctuations, and
        to secure a balance between supply and demand. 

        
The present Agreement, that of 1993, came into
        force on February 22, 1994. Whereas the mechanisms
        embodied in previous Agreements tended to focus on the
        correction of temporary or short-term market imbalances,
        essentially through buffer stock intervention, the 1993
        Agreement focuses on a longer term view of the market and
        emphasizes the need to avoid structural imbalances by
        promoting the necessary adjustments of production and
        consumption. In order to restore a balanced market at
        acceptable price levels, the Agreement contains
        provisions for the establishment of production-management
        plans and programs, and measures to increase consumption
        in the medium to long-term. 

        
In order to ensure the competitiveness of cocoa,
        there will also be more emphasis on support for cocoa
        research and the improvement of cocoa quality. The
        implementation of the 1993 Agreement will also see
        attention focused on the following key areas: 

        
    
            
  • The development and strengthening of
                international co-operation in all sectors of the
                world cocoa economy and the provision of an
                appropriate forum for the discussion of all
                related matters; 
    • 
            
  • The promotion of transparency in the working
                of the world cocoa economy through the collection
                and dissemination of relevant statistical and
                other data; 
    • 
            
  • The promotion of scientific research and
                development in the field of cocoa; and 
    • 
            
  • The development of the role of ICCO as an
                International Commodity Body in relation to the
                preparation, submission and supervision of
                projects to be financed through the Second
                Account of the Common Fund for Commodities. 
    • 
        

        
As the 1993 Agreement has no buffer stock
        provision, all buffer stock cocoa accumulated under
        previous Agreements has now been liquidated in accordance
        with the provisions of Article 38 of the 1986 Agreement. 

        
COMPOSITION

        
        
As at December, 2000, the membership of the ICCO comprised a total of 42 member countries as follows:
        
        
Exporting members: Benin, Brazil,
        Cameroon, Côte d'Ivoire, Dominican Republic, Ecuador,
        Gabon, Ghana, Grenada, Jamaica, Malaysia, Nigeria, Papua
        New Guinea, Peru, São Tomé and Príncipe, Sierra Leone,
        Togo, Trinidad and Tobago, Venezuela 

        
Importing members: Austria,
        Belgium/Luxembourg, Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, Finland, France,
        Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Japan,
        Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Russian
        Federation, Slovak Republic, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland,
        United Kingdom 

        
One inter-governmental organization, the European Union, is also a member.


        
STRUCTURE

        
The highest authority is the International
        Cocoa Council, which consists of all members
        of the Organization. The Council holds one regular
        session in each half of the cocoa year which runs from
        October 1 to September 30. Voting powers in the Council
        are evenly divided between exporting and importing
        members. 

        

                                Council (2003/2004)

          Chairman                       ...      Wolfgang HÄSSEL (Germany)
          First Vice-Chairman:           ...      Antonio LÓPEZ-VILLARES (Spain)
          Second Vice-Chairman:          ...      Ashley DELGADO (Ecuador)
          
                            Executive Committee (2003/2004)

          Chairman:                      ...      S.P. ESSOMBA ABANDA (Cameroon)
          Vice-Chairman:                 ...      I. MEDINA (Dominican Republic)



        
GENERAL PUBLICATIONS

        
Annual Report; Quarterly Bulletin of Cocoa
        Statistics; Cocoa Newsletter; World Cocoa Directory;
        Cocoa Consumption in the Russian Federation; Cocoa
        and Chocolate in Brazil, Quality and financial aspects of
        the cocoa campaign

        
EVENTS

        
UPDATED:  April 23, 2003

        
Directory of
        Economic, Commodity and Development Organizations - table
        of contents